Sumitra Mahajan's call to not contest in the elections from the Indore seat could be an indication that she wants to retire from electoral politics. She made this announcement in a statement released from her official letterhead as Member of Parliament
New Delhi: Sumitra Mahajan, the longest-serving woman parliamentarian, has finally taken a call to not contest from the Indore seat. It is probably an indication that she wants to retire from electoral politics.
Putting days of speculations over whether the BJP will defy the age barrier for Mahajan who is turning 76 next week, she has made this announcement in a statement issued from her official letterhead as a Member of Parliament.
Mahajan was a leader of yesteryears who could very well suit herself in the high-speed Modi-era.
Sumitra Mahajan was a BJP leader who was liked by many opposition leaders, particularly politicians from the Congress and the NCP. In an age where opponents refuse to make eye contacts and shake hands when they come face to face, Mahajan used Maharashtrian food to break the deadlock over ideology.
Often a senior Congress leader, who is a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, is seen in Mahajan's annual lunches playing the role of the host. Such was her acceptability. To politicians from Maharashtra, be it Supriya Sule of the NCP or Sanjay Raut from the Shiv Sena, she was 'tai' (elder sister in Marathi).
Mahajan is the longest-serving woman parliamentarian. She was elected for the eighth time in 2014 when Narendra Modi swept to power. On June that year, she was elected as the Speaker of Lok Sabha.
Mahajan’s political journey started as early as in 1984 when she was elected as the deputy mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Indore — the constituency that she would get elected from as a parliamentarian in the future. The opportunity arrived in 1989.
In spite of the vitriolic relationship between the Congress and the BJP, where the two don't shy away from using the most defamatory adjectives against each other, Mahajan was a refreshing aberration. She would often tolerate bad behaviour by Members in the house, at best trying to rebuke them politely.
But when Rahul Gandhi surprised the nation by hugging PM Modi inside the Lok Sabha, even Mahajan was taken aback. After regaining her composition, Mahajan didn't think twice before expressing her displeasure at the "theatrics".
"The manner in which it was done was not right. I didn't like it too", remarked Mahajan. But the quintessential Mahajan that makes her likable to every party, she soon added, "Rahul is not my enemy, he is like my son".
Yeh samajh lo ki sadan ki garima humein hi rakhni rahi, koi bahar ka aakar nahi rakehega.Humein apni garima bhi rakhni hai as a parliament member. Mein chahti hun ki tum sab log prem se raho. Mere dushman nahi hain, Rahul ji, bete jaise hi lagte hain: Sumitra Mahajan, LS speaker pic.twitter.com/9g92d9fkrw
— ANI (@ANI)In January this year, Mahajan, as the Speaker of Lok Sabha, suspended as many as 24 AIADMK members from the House for five consecutive sittings for protesting and creating ruckus continuously in the House over the Cauvery issue. AIADMK members had trooped into the Well of the House, a no-go area for MPs, with placards. Some ended up flinging torn pieces of papers towards the table where Lok Sabha secretariat officials sit during proceedings. This was construed as a gross violation. It was a strong enough provocation for even a calm Mahajan to suspend 24 of them at one go. This was probably one of the only few controversies in her long political stint. Sonia Gandhi called this a “black day”.
As Mahajan decides to call it a day, they won't be BJP netas alone who will miss her.
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