Former Bollywood actor and Samajwadi Party leader Jaya Bachchan on Friday filed her nomination papers as SP candidate for Rajya Sabha biennial elections from Uttar Pradesh.
Accompanied by party leaders MP Dimple Yadav, Rajendra Chaudhary and Kironmay Nanda, besides businessman Subrata Roy Sahara, Bachchan filed her nomination at the Central Hall of the Assembly onFriday. Other SP leaders like Shvipal Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav and outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agarwal were conspicuous by their absence.
later talking to reporters, Jaya Bachchan said, “I want to thank Mulayam Singh Yadavji, all party MlAs and MlCs for my candidature.”
On being asked about getting the party ticket instead of seniors like Kironmay Nanda and Naresh Agarwal, the three-time SP MP said, “I am also a senior now.”
For Jaya Bacchan this will be the fourth term in Rajya Sabha. Earlier she was elected to the upper house of the Parliament in 2004, 2006, and 2012.
The present term of Bacchan in Rajya Sabha expires on April 2. The biennial elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh will be held on March 23. In the 245-member Upper House of Parliament, UP has 31 seats.
In the 403-member UP Assembly, the BJP and its allies have 324 seats (a BJP MlA died in February), followed by Samajwadi Party with 47 MlAs, BSP (19), Congress (seven), and RlD one.
During the previous biennial polls to Rajya Sabha two years ago, the SP managed to win six seats by virtue of its strength in the Assembly. But this time, the SP can be sure of victory on only one seat as 37 first preference votes are needed for a candidate’s win.