Balaji Vishwanath died on 2 April, 1720 and was succeeded by his son Baji Rao who was only 20 years old. An able general and statesman, Baji Rao was champion of the ‘forward policy’ in the north with the ultimate aim of replacing the Mughals on the throne of Delhi.
He told Sahu, “Let us strike at the trunk of the withering tree (the Mughal Empire), the branches will fall of themselves. Thus should the Maratha flag fly from the Krishna to the Indus”. He was eager to elicit the help of the Rajputs and other Hindu chiefs in the achievement of this goal.
He had met some of them during his visit to Delhi along with his father and found their response encouraging. He therefore, coined the slogan “Hindu Pad Padshahi” or Hindu Empire. Sardesai significantly observes that the main gate of the Peshwa’s palace at Poona was called the Delhi Gate and faced the north.
Baji Rao was, however, fiercely opposed by the Deccani Party headed by Sripat Rao who emphasized the need of consolidating and extending the conquests in the Deccan rather than advancing beyond Narmada.
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The latter were perhaps right. By following a forward policy, Marathas left a strong hostile Muslim power in the rear which was a constant source of trouble of them. This policy left the field open for the rise of another strong power in Mysore and ultimately paved the way for the establishment of French and eventually the British rule in this part of the country.
Baji Rao was, however, determined to advance to the north and was able to persuade Sahu who, too, dreamt of establishing his rule over Delhi. He advanced towards Malwa, defeated the Mughal governor Bahadur Shah and captured the capital, Ujjain.
He received considerable help from Hindu chiefs including Sawai Jai Singh and Nand Lai Manloi of Indore. Marathas carried on raids in Gujarat and imposed tribute in the province.