Industrialist Ambani files papers for Rajya Sabha seat

In a surprise move, well known industrialist Anil Ambani of the Reliance group filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh yesterday.

Ambani's candidature is being supported by the Samajwadi Party and its allies. His candidature had been kept a closely guarded secret and was announced barely a few minutes before he actually filed the nomination papers.

Talking to reporters, Samajwadi legislator Amar Singh said that Ambani's personality could not be tied to one political party and hence he had decided to contest as an independent candidate.

"The Samajwadi Party and its allies will be supporting him and his victory is a foregone conclusion," Singh said.

Ambani, accompanied by chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, filed his nomination papers as 'Anil Dhirubhai Ambani.'

Well known film actress Jaya Bachchan, who is the Samajwadi Party candidate for Rajya Sabha, also filed her nomination papers along with Ambani. Bach-chan filed her papers as 'Jaya Amitabh' instead of Jaya Bachchan.

Both the celebrities refused to speak to the media and left immediately after filing their papers.

Among others who filed their nomination papers were former union minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and Arun Shourie. Industrialist Lalit Suri has also filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate. He will be supported by the BJP and other parties.

Two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidates, Mayawati and Satish Chandra Mishra had already filed their nomination papers on Monday taking the total number of candidates to 11 which is equivalent to the number of seat vacant for the Rajya Sabha from UP.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptullah, former central minister Yashwant Sinha, BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu were among the 35 candidates to file their nomination papers on the penultimate day for filing of papers.

Other prominent personalities to file their papers from states of Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were central ministers Oscar Fernandes and Anbumani, Congress leaders Ambika Soni and Capt Satish Sharma, former central minister Chhattrapal Singh and BJP leader Pyarelal Khandelwal.

Patil, who lost the Lok Sabha elections from Latur in Maharashtra, filed his papers for the Rajya Sabha at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai for the elections slated for June 28.

Senior Congress leader Vijay Darda also filed his papers in Mumbai for his second term in the Rajya Sabha.

Jaya, along with Bhagwati Singh, Ram Narain Sahu, Nand Kishore and Kamal Akhtar filed their papers from Samajwadi Party.

Naidu, who is seeking re-election to the upper house, filed his papers from Karnataka, where Oscar Fernandes also filed his papers.

Industrialist M.A.M. Ramaswamy (Janata Dal– Secular) and Shakuntala Hegde, wife of former state chief minister Ramkrishna Hegde, also filed their papers from Karnataka. Yashwant Sinha filed his papers from Jharkhand.

Anbumani, union health minister and son of Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss, filed his papers from Tamil Nadu in a bid to make a debut for his party in Rajya Sabha.

Congress general secretary Ambika Soni, who recently resigned from her Rajya Sabha seat from Delhi even though she had 18 months for her tenure, filed her nomination papers from Punjab.

– The Asian Age