Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday announced that he was quitting politics to "return to his roots", the day after the BJP denied him a Lok Sabha ticket from his constituency Chandni Chowk in Delhi.
The announcement came through a message shared on the social media platform X, where he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the nation and reflected on his journey from a medical student to a renowned political leader.
Vardhan, a five-time MLA and two-time MP from the constituency, has served as Union Minister of Health and as Union Environment Minister. In the announcement, he also hinted at returning to his career as an ENT surgeon and resuming duties at his clinic in East Delhi’s Krishna Nagar.
Announcing his exit from politics, the senior party leader posted on X, “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 centre I finally bowed out to return to my roots. ”
He said that his motto has been to “help the poor and the needy”, since the first day at his alma mater GSVM Medical College, Kanpur – where he studied MBBS. Vardhan added that he entered politics following the insistence of the then RSS leadership.
Harsh Vardhan's announcement comes a day after BJP MP Jayant Sinha expressed his unwillingness to contest in the Lok Sabha elections. Sinha, who had been a minister in the BJP-led NDA government, said that he would not like to contest in the elections as he wants to work on climate change.
Former cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir who represented East Delhi constituency on Saturday requested party president J P Nadda to relieve him of his political duties which meant that he won't contest in the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections. He said he wants to focus on his upcoming cricket commitments.
