Healthcare to Parliament: Harsh Vardhan bids adieu to political career

BJP MP Harsh Vardhan, former Union Minister of Health, declared his decision to step away from politics on Sunday (March 3).

This came after the BJP announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, which didn't include his name.

Harsh Vardhan is a doctor specialising in otorhinolaryngology (ENT).

'Successful political career'

In a detailed statement about his decision, Vardhan looked back on his "over thirty years of a successful political career" and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party workers.

"After more than thirty years of successful elections, where I won all five assembly and two parliamentary elections with big victories and held many important positions in the party and government, I am stepping down to go back to my original profession," Vardhan said.

The 69-year-old leader mentioned that he's returning to the medical profession. "I'm moving forward, I can't wait any longer. I have commitments to fulfil...and much work left to do! I have a dream...and I know your blessings will always be with me. My ENT clinic in Krishna Nagar also awaits my return," he tweeted.

After over thirty years of a glorious electoral career, during which I won all the five assembly and two parliamentary elections that I fought with exemplary margins, and held a multitude of prestigious positions in the party organisation and the governments at the state and…

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) March 3, 2024

4 sitting MPs dropped

In its initial candidate list for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP dropped four sitting MPs from Delhi, including Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri, Meenakshi Lekhi, and Harsh Vardhan. Instead, the party selected new candidates for their constituencies.

Vardhan remembered that it was at the insistence of the RSS leadership that he entered politics. "They were able to convince me because for me, politics was a chance to fight our main enemies – poverty, disease, and ignorance," he explained.

Reflecting on his accomplishments in politics, Vardhan added, "I served as Delhi Health Minister and twice as Union Health Minister, a field close to my heart. I had the unique opportunity to work towards making India polio-free and later, to handle the health crisis caused by COVID-19 during its first and second waves."

Political career

In 1993, Vardhan won a seat in the Delhi Assembly, representing Krishna Nagar. He served as the State Minister of Health and Minister of Law for Delhi. Later, in 1996, he took on the role of state Minister of Education. Vardhan was subsequently re-elected from the same constituency in the 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 elections.

Vardhan served as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Minister of Science and Technology, and Minister of Earth Sciences in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led NDA government from May 30, 2019, to July 7, 2021.

Harsh Vardhan represented Chandni Chowk in Delhi as a Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha.

He was elected as the chairperson of the executive board of the World Health Organisation on May 22, 2020.

Vardhan played an important role in the Union government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he later resigned from his cabinet post ahead of the cabinet reshuffle in July 2021.