Lucknow , May 28 — Caught between Samajwadi Party and expelled SP leader Amar Singh, the film actress-turned politician Jaya Bachchan, 62, on Friday declined the SP’s offer to re-nominate her for Rajya Sabha. The SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav said in Lucknow on Friday that the Jaya Bachchan had informed him that she wanted to stay away from the active politics for sometime. Yadav said that party spokesman Mohan Singh, who had lost 2009 Lok Sabha election from Deoria, had been nominated for the Upper House. Even though Amar Singh, a close friend of Bachchan family, had wished his “Bhabi” Jaya Bachchan well on her re-nomination, he certainly did not like the idea. Sources said that in order stop bickering in her family Jaya Bachchan declined the SP’s offer. Jaya’s present term in Upper House expires on July 4, 2010. Even though the SP’s Lok Sabha member from Rampur Jaya Prada had joined Amar Singh camp, Jaya Bachchan had been maintaining safe distance. Amar Singh had however expressed his displeasure over Jaya’s continuous association with SP. Amar Singh said that Jaya had been staying in a party, which had “humiliated” him. Jaya Bachchan had also not attended the Thakur rally organized by Amar Singh in Delhi in March last.
With depleted strength of the party in the state assembly the SP would be able to win just two seats. Apart from 87 MLAs, the party has support of few independent members. The SP thus would be able win two seats, as each candidate required 34 first preference votes.