Nirmala Sitharaman doesn’t have enough money to contest LS polls

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 statement comes at a time when the disclosure on Electoral bonds scheme has stunned the nation. The electoral bond data revealed how BJP has been receiving crores of rupees as donation from corporates and companies. TNM’s Shabbir Ahmed analyses her statement and puts it in perspective.