Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday announced that she will not be contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
Mahajan, who is an eight-time MP from Indore wrote a letter in which she questioned the delay over the announcement of a candidate for the Indore seat which she has won since 1989.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not declared its candidate from Indore. Why this state of indecision? Maybe the party is hesitant in taking a call. It is possible they have some doubts. Even though I had a discussion with the senior party leaders and left the decision to them. It seems they still have reservations, therefore I announce that I will not contest Lok Sabha elections, so party is free to decide, without any hesitation,” Sumitra Mahajan wrote in her letter.
Mahajan turns 76 on April 12, just above the BJP’s age bar for candidates.
“There were speculations and so I decided to end them and free the party to make its choice. I will not contest Lok Sabha elections,” Mahajan said.
The BJP has not fielded many of its veterans including LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi in the Lok Sabha elections.
Indore will go to the polls on May 19, the last phase of the parliamentary polls. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
