At the time of Bakht's birth, his family was in open revolt against the Mughal Empire due to an ongoing territorial dispute over Gujarat.

[3] His father was pardoned by Muhammad Azam Shah in 1708, granting the Rathore clan control over the Kingdom of Marwar and the city of Jodhpur.

[7] This abrupt change of leadership sparked a brief civil war among the Rathore in Marwar, during which the brothers employed Maratha soldiers to fight their enemies.

[1] In 1730 a taxation depute against Sarbuland Khan (Nawab of Gujarat) resulted in Abhai Singh laying siege to the city of Ahmedabad.

Sarbuland Khan surrendered after three days of fighting, after which the Mughal emperor was forced to make Abhai Singh the lord of Ahmedabad and the governor of Gujarat.

Seeking to expand his influence, he attempted to force concessions from the Bikaner State, calling on his brother for support.

The Raja of Bikaner sent a letter to Jai Singh II, the powerful Maharaja of the Kingdom of Jaipur, requesting assistance.

[1] The latter condition effectively made Marwar a vassal of Jaipur, as Abhai could no longer request aid from the Mughal government.

[1] In the ensuing Battle of Gangwana Bakht Singh and his cavalry of 1000 soldiers succeeded in inflicting heavy casualties on the Jaipur army.

Bakht Singh's first step as a ruler was to raise an army in Ajmer and to start fortifying his holdings to protect Marwar from external threats like the Mughals, Marathas and Afghans.