New Delhi: Clad in blue saree, Bansuri Swaraj, BJP candidate from New Delhi seat and daughter of late Union minister Sushma Swaraj, cast her vote accompanied by her father, Swaraj Kaushal today. Prior to the democratic exercise that may see her progress to the lower house, the vestige of democracy, she sought blessings at Jhandewalan Temple in Karol Bagh.
She and her father showed their inked finger after casting their votes. "Voting is your democratic right and so exercise it. Vote for a Viksit Bharat. Vote for a developed country," Swaraj said.
Taking to her X handle to appeal voters to exercise their franchise, Swaraj wrote, "Today, I have fulfilled my duty towards the country by exercising my right to vote and now it is your turn to do so. I humbly request everyone to go to your polling booth and cast your vote. Let's make this festival of democracy a success," she added.
A self-confessed devotee of Lord Krishna as her late mother, Bansuri said that she has prayed to the God for the happiness of the people of the state.
"Today, before offering my vote in the yagya of the great festival of democracy, I went to the Jhandewalan Temple in Karol Bagh, offered prayers and sought blessings and wished for a happy life for all the people of the state," she tweeted.
Lawyer by profession, 40-year-old Swaraj, the youngest BJP candidate in Delhi, is making her debut as a politician. She has replaced BJP's two-time New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi.
This segment is one of India’s most esteemed constituencies. Winners here include former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former BJP supremo LK Advani, and even film star Rajesh Khanna.
Notably, BJP inducted Swaraj as a 'fresh talent' to pump life into the BJP campaign, replacing Lekhi, also a Supreme Court lawyer like Bansuri, who made her political debut in the 2014 polls. She rode the Modi wave to win by over 1.6 lakh votes from New Delhi against incumbent Congress MP Ajay Maken. In 2019, Lekhi's winning margin was increased to over 2.5 lakh votes. The BJP, however, has denied ticket to Lekhi in favour of Bansuri.
Read more