Why BJP is planning to field Jaishankar, Sitharaman in Lok Sabha polls

The BJP’s latest move to announce that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar will contest the Lok Sabha elections doesn’t come as a surprise when seen in context with the party’s not-so-secret ambition of expanding its footprint in the southern parts of the country.

Sitharaman and Jaishankar, both of whom are the most eloquent ministers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, are currently members of the Upper House of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. This will be the first time that they will take a plunge into the rough and tumble of the electoral politics.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi revealed that the party is mulling their electoral debut in the Lok Sabha elections this year, though it has not been decided if both the ministers will contest from Karnataka. However, speculations are rife that one among Sitharaman and Jaishankar would contest from a constituency in Karnataka’s coastal districts, and the other from one of the three constituencies in Bengaluru.

Mission South

Aware of the fact that they have reached a saturation point in terms of electoral growth in the northern states, the BJP this time is making a huge push for mobilising support in South, which is evident from the number of visits Prime Minister Narendra Modi is paying to the states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala just ahead of the Lok Sabha poll announcement.

The move to field these two Union ministers in Lok Sabha elections also appears to be a part of the BJP's larger plan. Interestingly, not so long ago, there were even speculations that PM Modi himself might contest the 2024 LS polls from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu. If he indeed decides to contest election from Ramanathapuram, it may have a ripple effect in other Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu.

While Karnataka remains the only state where the BJP did well in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party intends to make major gains in other southern states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana with the help of smaller allies and defectors from major regional players like AIADMK. Of the 38 seats in Tamil Nadu, the NDA had managed to win only 1 seat in 2019, which was bagged by the AIADMK. 

Sitharaman’s political journey

Sitharaman is the first full-time female finance minister of the country. Earlier, Indira Gandhi had held finance as an additional portfolio for a short duration when she was the prime minister.

She joined the BJP in 2008 and served as the national spokesperson of the party till 2014. She was appointed a minister of state with independent charge (commerce and industry) after Narendra Modi became the prime minister of the country in 2014. The same year she became a member of the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.

Sitharaman served as the defence minister of the country between 2017 and 2019. As a defense minister, Sitharaman fiercely defended the Narendra Modi government against allegations of corruption by the Opposition in the Rafale aircraft deal signed between India and France.

One of the most trusted lieutenants of Prime Minister Modi, Sitharaman was allocated two key portfolios of finance and corporate affairs when the NDA government retained power after 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

From career diplomat to minister

Jaishankar is a career diplomat. In 2019, he was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Over the years, he has attained popularity on social media due to his staunch defence of the Indian foreign policy on international forums.

He is the first former foreign secretary to be given political control of the external affairs ministry. He is also probably the first bureaucrat who became a cabinet minister so soon after retirement.

He was foreign secretary from 2015-18, Ambassador to United States (2013-15), China (2009-2013) and Czech Republic (2000-2004). He was High Commissioner to Singapore (2007-2009). He has also served in other diplomatic assignments in Embassies in Moscow, Colombo, Budapest and Tokyo, as well in the Ministry of External Affairs and the President’s Secretariat.

Jaishankar is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi. He has a Masters in Political Science and an MPhil and PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.