When I joined him on his padyatra later, Udayanraje told me with reference to his cousin: "Yeh niti aur aniti kaa sawal hai. When he follows my ideology, maybe we can get back [together] again." Every day, he holds court at his palace, where - according to one of his aides - at least 200 people come to ask for favours.
"In the last five years, the Congress-NCP government has hardly carried out any developmental projects," he said adding, "and I am not saying this just because we are in the opposition."
When I asked him how relevant a royal family is in the 21st century, he said, "Very. Look, let me ask you a question. Your family must have some rural connection. Now you, however big you are, cannot go to your village and conduct a puja, right? It is done through the head of the village or a priest or some elder. Similarly, people come to the royals with their problems. They think we can help them. And we should."
He joined politics to serve the people. "The moment a royal is born, he has a duty to fulfil, something you can't shy away from."
The going was tough in the initial days. The Doon School-educated royal 'hated' it. "I spent my childhood in a boarding school. I have been here for only 7-8 years."
Udayanraje campaigning in Satara