Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has declined the BJP offer to contest in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections citing the reason “lack of money”. On wednesday, she told and stressed upon her inability to match the “winning criteria” in southern states of andhra pradesh or Tamil Nadu that she was suppose to contest from.

What Is The ‘Winning Criteria’, Nirmala Sitharaman Is Talking About? 

On Wednesday at a renowed media house Summit, responding to a query that whether the second term Rajya Sabha member would contest in the coming April 19 elections or not. To which, Ms. Sitharaman told about her problems for not contesting the elections. specifically talking about the “winning criteria” she highlighted that for a win people see the community and religion..and that is why she does not want to sign up for the coming elections.

Adding up to her causes, she also highlighted lack of funds to contest in the elections. As she put it upon being asked to elaborate: “My salary, my earnings, and my savings are mine and not the Consolidated Fund of India.”

The BJP has fielded several existing Rajya Sabha members in the upcoming elections including Piyush Goyal, Bhupender Yadav, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Mansukh Mandaviya, and Jyotiraditya Scindia. Nirmala Sitharaman — currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka — however said that she would limit herself to campaigning for different candidates.

Several existing Rajya Sabha members, including Piyush Goyal, Bhupender Yadav, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Mansukh Mandaviya, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, have been nominated by the BJP for the upcoming elections. However, Nirmala Sitharaman, presently representing Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, stated her intention to focus solely on campaigning for other candidates.