New Delhi: Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of former foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, is set to make her poll debut in the upcoming elections. In its first list of candidates, Bharatiya Janata Party announced that Ms Swaraj would contest from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat.
Soon after her name was announced, Ms Swaraj said that she will try to live up to the legacy set by her mother, who she was sure sending her blessings from heaven.
"I know I have the blessings of Ma (Sushma Swaraj). But this achievement does not belong to Bansuri Swaraj, but every karyakarta (worker) of Delhi BJP," Ms Swaraj told NDTV.
Bansuri Swaraj, a distinguished lawyer, brings a wealth of experience in legal procedures to the political arena. Last year, the BJP appointed her as the co-convenor of the BJP Delhi's legal cell.
Bansuri Swaraj boasts a formidable fifteen years of experience in the legal profession, having been enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 2007. After completing her undergraduate studies in English Literature from the University of Warwick, she pursued a law degree at the prestigious BPP Law School in London. Her academic journey includes qualifying as a Barrister at Law and being called to the bar from the Hon'ble Inn of Inner Temple, London. Further enhancing her legal credentials, she completed her Masters of Studies from St. Catherine's College at the University of Oxford.
Throughout her professional career, Bansuri has carved a niche for herself in the legal domain, representing high-profile clients in contentious litigation across various judicial fora. Her expertise spans a wide array of legal areas, including disputes involving contracts, real estate, tax, international commercial arbitrations, and criminal trials.
Bansuri Swaraj made headlines last year when she launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. During a press conference in the national capital, she characterized the AAP government as "jhagdalu (quarrelsome) and nikammi (useless)," criticizing their perceived inefficiency since 2015. She congratulated President Droupadi Murmu for passing the Bill, expressing confidence that the administration in Delhi would now operate in accordance with the law.
Hoping to get a massive first-mover advantage as it works towards its target of winning 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP today announced a list of 195 candidates even before the poll dates have been notified. The list includes the party's heaviest hitters, PM Narendra Modi, who will be contesting from Varanasi for the third time, and Home Minister Amit Shah, who will be fielded again from Gandhinagar in Gujarat.