1999 due to old age. She was jailed by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, ultimately sharing a cell with fellow Rajmata and MP, Gayatri Devi, in Tihar Jail. In the 1970s, Vijayraje and her son Madhavrao were involved in a public dispute over property. Animosities heightened due to their differing political ideologies. Vijayaraje came to the forefront of the BJP leadership in 1980 when she was made one of its vice-presidents. She played a key role in popularizing the party's Ram Janmabhoomi movement and was considered a hardliner. Following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, she had declared that "she could now die without any regret, for she had seen her dream come true." She remained a BJP vice-president until 1998 when she stepped down on health grounds and quit electoral politics. She died in January 2001. Ancestry References Further reading Scindia, Vijayaraje, with Malgonkar, Manohar. The Last Maharani of Gwalior: An Autobiography, State University of New York Press, Albany (1987). Brief biography From the Tribune newspaper 1919 births 2001 deaths University of Lucknow alumni Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Madhya Pradesh Vijayraje Women in Madhya Pradesh politics Queen mothers Lok Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh India MPs 1957–1962 India MPs 1962–1967 India MPs 1967–1970 India MPs 1971–1977 India MPs 1989–1991 India MPs 1991–1996 India MPs 1996–1997 India MPs 1998–1999 People from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh Indian National Congress politicians from Madhya Pradesh Swatantra Party politicians Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India) Indian female royalty Bharatiya Jana Sangh politicians People from Guna district Leaders of the Opposition in Madhya Pradesh 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Rajya Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh People from Bhind district Indian people of Nepalese descent Women members of the Lok Sabha Women members of the Rajya Sabha