JAIPUR: Rajasthan clearly has a government on the move. And move it will, but only on fancy wheels. The wheel fetish starts right at the top with Vasundhara Raje, who seems to tire easily of her cars. Now, if things move according to plan, she will become the first chief minister of an Indian state to get a Mercedes E-Class worth Rs4 million, paid for by the state exchequer.

Of course, the car is only for her official use. Sources said the general administration department is negotiating the purchase with a Delhi dealer. When Raje took over as Rajasthan Chief Minister in December 2003 after ousting the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government, like previous CMs, she too was assigned the usual white Ambassador, the Indian-made vehicle. But in August 2005, she asked for a Ford Endeavour worth Rs1.5 million.

Now, she has obviously grown out of the SUV and wants to move on. Sources said she had now instructed her secretariat to procure a Mercedes for her official use. The Endeavour would be demoted to remain in her fleet. It’s not just Raje in the race for better wheels. Last year, Rajasthan spent Rs7 million in buying Tata Indigos for its ministers.—By arrangemwnt with The Times of India.