Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday, March 27, said that she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as she does not have the required money for it. She was responding to a question at Times Now Summit 2024. “The party asked me [to contest elections]. After thinking over a week or ten days, I said, maybe not. I do not have that kind of money to contest,” she added.
According to the declaration filed by Nirmala Sitharaman as a Rajya Sabha MP in 2023, she has assets worth more than Rs 2 crore. "My salary, my earnings, and my savings are mine and not the consolidated fund of India," Sitharaman stated while responding to another question.
The affidavit filed by Nirmala states that she has immovable assets worth around Rs 1.87 crore and Rs 69.12 lakh in moveable assets bringing the total to 2.56 crore. Nirmala has a 50% share in a residential building, worth Rs 1.7 crore, owned by her and her husband. She also owns a non-agricultural land worth Rs 17 lakh. In moveable properties, Nirmala has bank deposits worth Rs 35.52 lakh and jewellery worth Rs 18.39 lakh.
She also expressed concerns about the “winnability criteria” in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, indicating that the election would be decided based on community and religion. “I also have a problem whether it is Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu. It will also 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 be able to do it,” she said.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in February hinted that the BJP may field Nirmala and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar from Karnataka. Nirmala was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from Bengaluru in 2022, while S Jaishankar was elected from Gujarat.