New Delhi: After BJP leader Uma Bharti expressed her wishes to not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the party on Saturday appointed her as its national vice-president.

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Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said at a press conference, "As Uma ji has written to BJP president Amit Shah, reiterating her decision not to contest the Lok Sabha elections, the party has appointed her the national vice president of the BJP.”

Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Bharti, who represents Jhansi in the Lok Sabha, told Shah that she will be happy to accept any other responsibilities assigned to her by the party, but will not contest in the election.

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Bharti took to Twitter to declare her intentions for the 2019 election. She wrote, "Dear friend, as I have already declared, reiterating the same I had written a letter to the party president Mr Amit Shah, repeating my request of not contesting an election, so that the party officially declares it.”

The Union minister said that she wanted to go on an 18-month-long pilgrimage from May. "I have told all the friends that for the next one-and-a-half years, I want to spend the maximum time on the banks of the Ganga. During this period, I will participate in the Lok Sabha election campaign according to the BJP's directive, and will fulfil the responsibilities assigned to me," she added.

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However, nipping all rumours in the bud, Bharti said that she will not resign from politics till her last breath. "Prime Minister @narendramodi ji is the head guard of the country. All of BJP workers are included in the army of the chowkidars. My wish is that our government is formed and Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister again," she wrote on Twitter.

However, this is not the first time that Bharti has taken a step back from politics. In December last year, Bharti had announced to take a break from active politics to focus on the issue of Ram temple and cleaning of Ganga river.

Inputs from agencies

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