Actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan on Friday sprang a surprise on the Samajwadi Party by turning down an offer for re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha, saying she wanted to stay away from politics for some time.
SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters that Bachchan has declined the party offer, made two day ago.
"Jaya Bachchan today morning informed the party leadership on phone about her wish to take a break from politics, after which a decision to nominate Mohan Singh was taken," party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said.
He said the party has now decided to give a ticket to its spokesperson Mohan Singh, who had lost the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, for the Rajya Sabha biennial election slated for June 10.
Asked if Jaya Bachchan's husband actor Amitabh Bachchan had objected to her nomination for the Upper House, Mulayam said, "Amitabh Bachchan has never liked politics. He was elected for the Lok Sabha but after a brief period, he resigned from there."
Sources said that close friend and expelled SP leader Amar Singh had on Thursday gone to Mumbai and Jaya's decision was an outcome of their meeting.
Jaya, 62, was close to Amar Singh as was her husband Amitabh Bachchan, but this changed after the RS member refused to quit the SP, after he was expelled from the party earlier this year.
She did not attend Singh's 'Kshatriya' rally in March this year, a move which was seen as a setback for him. Singh had then declared that he was 'missing' Bachchan. Her re-nomination to Rajya Sabha was being seen as a reward by the party for not siding with Amar Singh.
Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur Jaya Prada had backed Singh after his departure from the party and was soon expelled too. Owing to Jaya's proximity to Singh, there was speculation within the party that she would not be given a ticket again and the SP may field Mohan Singh to one of the two Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant.
Due to the depleted strength of the party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, it is in a position to nominate only two leaders to the Rajya Sabha, from where seven of its sitting MPs, including Jaya, are retiring in July this year. The SP has ten Rajya Sabha MPs after the recent death of its sitting member Virendra Bhatia.
