Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday that she would not contest the Lok Sabha election as she does not have the “kind of money” needed to contest elections.
The Election Commission of India allows a candidate to spend up to ₹95 lakh for a Parliamentary election campaign. However, according to an EC report, the 2019 elections saw an average of ₹100 crore spent per constituency, or ₹700 per vote.
"After thinking over a week or 10 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 (to contest from) Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu," Sitharaman said.
"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? I said no; I do not think I am going to be able to do it," she said at the Times Now Summit 2024.
FM Sitharaman said BJP President JP Nadda had given her the choice to contest either from Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu. The Finance Minister added, "I am very grateful that they accepted my argument... So I am not contesting."
Sitharaman, when questioned about why even the country’s finance minister lacks the funds to contest Lok Sabha elections, pointed out that she does not possess the Consolidated Fund of India. She further added that her salary, her earnings and her savings belong to her and not the Consolidated Fund of India.
Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, will be campaigning for different candidates for the elections, beginning April 19.
"I will also be attending a lot of media events. And going with the candidates, like tomorrow, I will be going for the Rajiv Chandrasekhar campaign and so yes, I'll be on the campaign trail," she further said.
The ruling BJP has fielded a number of Rajya Sabha members, including Piyush Goyal, Bhupender Yadav, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Mansukh Mandaviya, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, for the upcoming general elections.
First Published: Mar 27, 2024 9:17 PM IST
