I don't have money to contest Lok Sabha elections: Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that she would not contest Lok Sabha election and the same has been conveyed to the party.

Speaking at an event here, the Finance Minister said that she doesn't have the money required to contest election besides several other winnability factors also not being favourable.

"(The) Party did ask me but after thinking over it for a week or 10 days I just came back to say, maybe not," Sitharaman said at the event organised by media outlet Times Now.

She further said, "...I don’t have that kind of money to contest. I also have a problem because whether it is Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu it is also going to be a question of various other winnability criteria that they use. Are you from this community or are you from that religion, are you from this... I said, no, I don’t think I will be able to do it."

Nirmala Sitharaman is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha and a key member of the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from Finance Ministry she also holds the portfolio of Corporate Affairs Ministry.

Sitharaman is one of the senior leaders of ruling BJP.