Sushma Swaraj

Trivia

• She won the 2009 election to the 15th Lok Sabha from the Vidisha constituency in Madhya Pradesh, on a BJP candidacy, by a record margin of 3.89 lakh votes. This is her 10th election. She is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha, and is expected to become Leader of the Opposition in the house when L.K. Advani steps down from the post, per his wishes.
• She was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2006 from Madhya Pradesh. She served as the deputy leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha.
• She was re-inducted into the cabinet as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, which she held from September 2000 until January 2003.
• She returned to Parliament in April 2000 as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand.
• In 1999, she took on a high profile as she contested against the Congress party's President, Sonia Gandhi, from the Bellary constituency in Karnataka, which had returned Congress winners since India's independence. The fervent, high-pitched campaign came to an end with the expected loss of Sushma, Gandhi polled 51.7 percent of the vote, Swaraj coming not too far behind with 44.7 percent.
• She left the Union Cabinet from October - December 1998 to serve as the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi. The BJP lost the assembly elections, and she returned to national politics.
• Under the second Vajpayee government, she retained the Information and Broadcasting ministry and had additional charge of the Ministry of Telecommunications from March 19 to October 12, 1998.
• She was re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha for a 2nd term in 1998.
• She was Union Cabinet Minister of Information and Broadcasting in 1996, during the 13-day Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government.
• In 1996, she was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from South Delhi.

Quotes

• "I requested him that since his assignment in the PAC was owing to the fact that he was a BJP MP, he should resign under the changed circumstances ( i.e. his expulsion from the party). But he refused. Even then, I kept quiet because I thought he was angry and would reconsider after going over the facts d."
• "No time-frame has been set (for her stepping down) I cannot say that the party’s authority has been undermined."
• "Jaswant Singh's expulsion was unfortunate but necessary. Jaswant Singh tried to denigrate Sardar Patel's great efforts to integrate the country. Factionalism is one of the factors leading to the party's poll defeat, but I want to assure you that there is no possibility of L K Advani stepping down."
• "It's purely BJP's internal affair."
• "Strategically, India has gone on the backfoot."
• "Propriety demands that Jaswant Singh should quit from the post of the PAC chairman. These posts are decided by consensus and has been with the opposition party as a matter of tradition."
• "Which was nurtured and strengthened by her blood and sweat."
• "A thorough review of the RSS unit of Jammu and Kashmir is on the anvil. He will discuss ways to improve its image and make the Sangh attractive to the youth."
• "Special powers should stay with the security forces as long as those are required."
• "RSS has no role in it whatsoever."