National Desk, 28th March: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced her decision not to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Despite offers from the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest from Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh, Sitharaman declined, citing financial constraints and concerns regarding winnability criteria based on community and religion.
Speaking at a media summit, she expressed gratitude to her party for respecting her decision and clarified that her personal finances were separate from the Consolidated Fund of India.
Prior to her current role, Sitharaman served as Union Defence Minister, Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh in 2014, and Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, and later as Minister for Commerce and Industry.
Notably, during her tenure as Defence Minister, she was commended for streamlining procurement decisions in the defence sector and establishing a Defence Planning Committee.
Sitharaman, who joined the BJP in 2008, has been a national spokesperson for the party since 2010.
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