Sumitra Mahajan not to contest LS polls, says has freed party to make its choice

The party has been recently slammed for not giving tickets to its veteran leaders like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi. In fact, Advani’s parliamentary constituency Gandhinagar has this time been given to BJP Chief Amit Shah.

New Delhi: With the BJP appearing to be in a dilemma over fielding her, outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker and eight-time MP from Indore, Sumitra Mahajan Friday said she would not contest the ensuing general elections and has freed her party from making its choice. Mahajan, who turns 76 next week, said there had been speculations whether the party will field someone who has crossed the 75-year age bar. "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," she told media from Indore. The party has been recently slammed for not giving tickets to its veteran leaders like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi. In fact, Advani’s parliamentary constituency Gandhinagar has this time been given to BJP Chief Amit Shah. Joshi has also not been named in BJP's list of star campaigners for Uttar Pradesh. BJP organisational general secretary Ram Lal met Murli Manohar Joshi to ask him to announce the decision that he will not be contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Soon, a message reportedly signed by Joshi started doing the rounds on social media, in which Joshi is addressing the voters of Kanpur and saying Ram Lal has told him that he should not contest the elections either from Kanpur or elsewhere. The voting for Lok Sabha elections this year are set to take place starting April 11, the counting of votes for the same will take place on May 23.