Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Sushma Swaraj and Sumitra Mahajan could be opting end of their legislative careers.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections the 67-year-old former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced not to be contesting for the polls. She cited health issues but confirmed not to be retiring from politics.
Former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, 76, wrote an open letter earlier this year raising the question on the hesitation of the party in announcing Indore candidate and as aftermath, she declared not to contest.
Mahajan is an eight-term parliamentarian and her application to the Parliamentary Notice Office (PNO) to secure ex-member of Parliament identity cards was approved Tuesday.
She held farewell meetings with PM Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh. She greeted JP Nadda for being appointed as the working president of saffron.
In a tweet thereafter she wrote, “You gave me the opportunity to be Lok Sabha speaker. Thank you, Prime Minister Modi.”
Swaraj kept a low profile without any such tweet. She is a seven-term parliamentarian and Lok Sabha secretariat confirmed her application has been received.
Swaraj was also the chief minister of Delhi in 1998 though it was just for a short term.
Party’s Vani Tripathi Tickoo said, “Parliament will miss Sushmaji and her eloquence… It’s rare that you have a woman leader who for decades held the fort (forth) on every possible issue from a foreign policy matter to information and broadcasting to education, etcetera.”
