FM Nirmala Sitharaman declines BJP ticket, says ‘don’t have money' to contest Lok Sabha polls
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesdat that she has declined the offer extended by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to contest the upcoming polls, saying that she “doesn't have the kind of money” to stand in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
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Sitharaman said that BJP President JP Nadda extended the option to her to either contest from Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, but she rejected the offer, pleading that she does not have the funds to contest the polls.
While speaking at the Times Now Summit 2024, the finance minister said, “After thinking over a week or ten days, I just went back to say... maybe not. I do not have that kind of money to contest.”
“I also have a problem whether it is Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu. It's also going to be a question of various other winnability criteria that they use...Are you from this community or are you from that religion? Are you from this? I said no, I do not think I am going to able to do it,” she added.
"I am very grateful that they accepted my argument...So I am not contesting," she added. When asked why even the finance minister of the country does not have enough funds to fight Lok Sabha elections, she said that the Consolidated Fund of India does not belong to her.
She said, "My salary, my earnings, my savings are mine and not the Consolidated Fund of India".
However, Sitharaman said that she will still be a part of BJP's campaign trail for the upcoming elections. She will be attending media events and campaigning for multiple BJP candidates, including Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
While Sitharaman won't be contesting the polls this time, the BJP has fielded multiple existing Rajya Sabha candidates including Piyush Goyal, Bhupender Yadav, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Mansukh Mandaviya, and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Till now, BJP has released seven list of candidates for the upcoming general elections, fielding party heavyweights like Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh in its initial lists. BJP's surprise candidates like actress Kangana Ranaut and Sandeshkhali violence survivor Rekha Patra also made headlines the past week.