 Her most notable decision during this period was to declare film production as an industry, which made the Indian film industry eligible for bank finance.She also started community radio at universities and other institutions..In September 1999, the 
BJP nominated Swaraj to contest against the Congress party's national President Sonia Gandhi in the 13th Lok Sabha election, from the Bellary constituency in Karnataka, which had always been retained by Congress politicians since the first Indian general election in 1951–52.