NEW DELHI, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- India's foreign minister and one of the senior leaders in ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sushma Swaraj said Tuesday that she will not contest the 2019 national elections.
Swaraj made the announcement during a press briefing in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where local elections are scheduled to be held later this month.
"It is the party which decides, but I have made up my mind not to contest the next elections," Swaraj told reporters in Indore.
The 66-year-old cited health reasons for not participating in the elections, adding that she had informed her party.
Swaraj is currently a parliamentarian from Vidisha constituency of Madhya Pradesh.
She is one the most high-profile ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.
Swaraj has been seen taking cognizance of issues pertaining to her ministry using social media, especially Twitter.
In 2016, she underwent a kidney transplant at India's premier hospital - All India Institute of Health Sciences.
Reports say around half a dozen senior leaders in the ruling party will not contest the upcoming India's general elections.
