Senior BJP Leader Sushil Kumar diagnosed with cancer, withdraws from Lok Sabha elections

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi, disclosed on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with cancer. Taking to social media platform X, Modi shared that he has been confronting the disease for the past six months, rendering him unable to campaign or contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Expressing his sentiments, Modi wrote, “I have been battling cancer for the last 6 months. Now I feel that the time has come to tell people. I will not be able to do anything in the Lok Sabha elections.” He further conveyed that he has apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his health condition, emphasizing his enduring gratitude and dedication to the nation, Bihar, and the party.

Upon learning of Sushil Modi’s health struggle, fellow BJP leader and party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad expressed deep concern, stating, “I am deeply pained by the news. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Despite his decision to refrain from contesting the upcoming elections, the BJP has appointed the 72-year-old politician to its 27-member Election Manifesto Committee, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at its helm. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister Piyush Goyal will serve as the convenor and co-convenor of the committee, respectively.

Sushil Kumar Modi has had a distinguished political career, having served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar from July 2017 to November 2020. In December 2020, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, filling the seat left vacant by the demise of Lok Janshakti Party supremo Ram Vilas Paswan, who passed away in October 2020 after battling prolonged illness.