Who is Bansuri Swaraj? BJP MP, lawyer and daughter of ex-foreign minister Sushma Swaraj

BJP MP from New Delhi constituency, Bansuri Swaraj.

Bansuri Swaraj is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and first-time MP from the New Delhi constituency. Swaraj was given the opportunity to make her electoral debut from the constituency where several prominent leaders including late ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and ex-deputy PM Lal Krishna Advani have contested.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she went up against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti.

Who is Bansuri Swaraj and how she rose to prominence in politics?

Bansuri Swaraj is the daughter of the late former foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Her father Swaraj Kaushal is senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India and former Governor of Mizoram. Kaushal was a Member of Parliament from 1998 to 2004, and is one of the youngest lawyers to be designated as a senior advocate at the age of 34.

Bansuri, who followed her father's footsteps and became a lawyer, is also the co-convener of BJP’s legal cell.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Warwick. She later pursued law at BPP Law School in London, where she qualified as a Barrister at Law and was called to the bar at the Inn of Inner Temple, London. Following this, she completed a Master of Studies at St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford. With over 16 years of experience in the legal profession, she has built a distinguished career.

As a lawyer, Swaraj has handled cases related to contracts, real estate, taxation, and international commercial arbitration, along with several criminal trials. Additionally, she has represented Haryana state in the Supreme Court.

She entered politics in March 2023 with her appointment as co-convenor of the Delhi BJP’s legal department. The BJP named her for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in place of incumbent MP and union minister Meenakshi Lekhi, who had won the New Delhi seat twice.

During her debut election campaign, Swaraj pledged to allocate 25 percent of the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds to residents' welfare associations. She also committed to ensuring that all central government schemes are effectively implemented in her constituency. She won the constituency by 78,370 votes.

Swaraj has been a vociferous critic of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. She has repeatedly described the AAP-led Delhi government as "useless," accusing the the party of poor performance in the national capital.