Which Mewar ruler is linked with the Ratan Singh succession challenge and Mahadji Scindia's promised support?

Explanation

Eternal Mewar identifies Ari Singh II as the ruler chosen after Maharana Raj Singh II died without issue and records that he was placed on the throne on 3 April 1761. The succession dispute began when Raj Singh II's wife, Jhali Rani, gave birth after his death to a boy named Ratan Singh. Many nobles lost confidence in Ari Singh II, partly because of his temperament and reverses against the Marathas, and wanted Ratan Singh on the Mewar throne. Eternal Mewar also records that Ari Singh II concluded a treaty with Mahadji Rao Scindia in 1769. Mahadji Scindia supported Ratan Singh, Rawat Jaswant Singh of Devgarh supported the Scindia side, and Kunwar Ratan Singh attempted to overturn the government with support from Mewar nobles. These events therefore belong to Ari Singh II's reign.

Why the other options are wrong

• (B) Maharana Jagat Singh II is associated with the Hurda conference, Maratha chauth pressure, Bajirao's Udaipur-Nathdwara visit, and Jaipur succession politics, not with Ratan Singh's claim to the Mewar throne.
• (C) Maharana Sangram Singh II is associated with Maratha raids, temple and palace construction, inscriptions, and Mewar painting. These events precede the Ari Singh II-era succession feud involving Ratan Singh.
• (D) Maharana Bhim Singh belongs to the later Mewar crisis involving Shaktawat-Chundawat rivalry, Ambaji Ingliya, Kumbhalgarh, and the Krishna Kumari episode. It is unrelated to Ratan Singh's succession dispute.

Concept

This question tests late eighteenth-century Mewar succession politics, the decisive role of nobles, and the growing influence of Maratha power in Rajput state disputes. RAS often returns to such ruler-event pairings because they require candidates to distinguish closely placed rulers and events while connecting dynastic chronology with Rajasthan's wider political transition.

Source

• Eternal Mewar

Related questions

• A Rajasthan geography note says Imperial Airways used one feature for about six years during the Second World War. Which feature was it?
• Abhaneri is an archaeological site in which district?
• According to Rajasthani fort classification, which type of fort is Chittorgarh an example of?
• According to the Agnikunda legend, how many Rajput clans emerged from the fire pit?
• Where did the first Bhil revolt begin after new revenue pressure was imposed on the Bhils?
• Which fort in Hanumangarh is known as a mud fort?