It's Samar time in Vadodara

The year that just ran out on us was a year of miracles for the new Maharaja of Baroda — Samarjeetsinh Gaekwad. For, it was the year in which he managed to overcome many hurdles, major being the two-decade-long legal battle with uncle Sangramsinh.

He also won the prestigious Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) presidential elections defeating industrialist and friend-turned-rival Chirayu Amin. And as we inch closer towards the 2014 General Elections, Gaekwad — now a favourite son of Baroda — has been termed the front-runner for a BJP ticket, replacing incumbent Balkrishna Shukla.

Flashback
Post-independence, many princely states had to do away with status and some part of their properties under the government’s policy. This was followed by the issue of property heritance and share in ancestral property cropped up among the royal families. The feud went public when head of the royal family died. And Baroda was no exception.

The legal battle dates back to 1990, soon after the death of Fatehsinh Gaekwad, when the heir apparent of the Gaekwad throne, Maharaja Ranjitsinh and his brother Sangramsinh got into a litigation over their respective claims on their ancestral property. Before his death in 2012, Ranjitsinh tried his best to resolve the matter amicably but failed.

One year after his death, the family managed to reach to consensus. In June 2013, the royal family of Baroda signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the feud over the huge ancestral property — estimated to be worth around Rs 20,000 crore. The documents were made official in October and Samarjeetsinh terms it huge achievement.

“Considering the complexity of issues, I can say we managed to solve it. My father had also tried but couldn’t reach an agreement. In June end, we took the first significant step towards the solution. Of course, the MoU was signed. Better decision than any court would have had given. It was a big relief for us. We hope that we will forge a new relationship among the estranged family members now,” remarked Samarjeetsinh, while remembering his father and his efforts.

Samarjeetsinh is learnt to have retained a lion’s share of the property including the iconic Laxmi Vilas Palace, while Baroda Rayons — a coveted property in Surat — has gone to his uncle Sangramsinh. The five sisters of late Ranjitsinhji got a share in movable properties owned by the family.

Betterment of Cricket
Once Gaekwad overcame the personal and emotional battles, he was able to focus on the professional front. The 46-year-old held an important position in BCA. Being a vice-president of the cricketing body, Gaekwad had to face members queuing up in his office with complaints pertaining to the new stadium. With Amin not responding positively, the Maharaja was left with no option but to stand against his long-time friend.

According to Gaekwad, presidency was a mantle that was forced, rather than eased onto his shoulders when the incumbent failed to deliver goods. He was happy working behind the scenes.

“The primary issue was of the stadium. Over these 10 years, the Association got into bad shape and the efforts to build a stadium lacked pro-activeness. Leadership was clearly missing. It was time I stepped forward,” he said.

Amin, who was at the helm of affairs for 26 years, was accused of failing to provide infrastructure.

Associations like Jharkhand and Vidarbha haven’t produced international players like Baroda, but have stadiums of their own.

“Land deals were not handled properly. BCA trusted Amin, but he misused it. Whenever the committee asked him, about the progress in the land deal, he had a standard answer: My company is looking into it. How can a private company decide upon a big project concerned with common man? So I voiced my displeasure,” said Gaekwad, while explaining his stance.

He admitted it was a hard fought election but didn’t rule out the possibility of shaking hands with Amin in the future. Moreover, the verdict given by the BCA members being mixed, the new president expressed his willingness to work with all. “Amin and elected members are very much part of the BCA. And we are here for betterment of cricket,” he remarked.

Himself a former first class cricketer, Gaekwad promises to keep player issues on top of the priority list. “In past Baroda were rattled by some embarrassing situations. But I assure you that it won’t be repeated. As an administrator, our job begins when cricketers face any kind of hurdle. It also includes the emotional support necessary for modern day cricket,” said Gaekwad, who defeated Amin by a margin of 200 votes in the presidential race.

Elections also reflected trust and faith Barodians have in Gaekwad. The gossip mongers are putting money on the Maharaja fighting Lok Sabha polls in 2014. Politics is also not new for him.

Besides being an active member of BJP, Gaekwad’s father Ranjitsinhji, was former MP from Vadodara while mother Shubhanginiraje fought Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket.

Insiders say Narendra Modi kept a close watch on the results. The way Gaekwad galvanised members support displayed Maharaja’s charisma. The victory can be first step towards getting into active politics. However, Gaekwad refuses to enter main stream politics. “It is more of a media speculation. I would have fought an election 10 years ago, but consciously stayed away from it. It is a very hypothetical question,” he said. But there can’t be smoke without fire…