Jaya Bachchan,Mukul Roy,Deshmukh file papers for RS polls

AICC Spokesman Abhishek Singhvi and three journalists– Kunal Ghosh,Nadimul Haque and Vivek Gupta,all Trinamool Congress nominee–were the other candidates who filed their papers. Jaya is one of the six Samajwadi party candidates.

Roy,Union Minister of State for Shipping and Trinamool Congress’ all-India general secretary,Ghosh,Haque and Gupta filed their papers in Kolkata as Trinamool nominees.

Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present at the time of filing of the papers.

Roy,who is Trinamool’s candidate to replace Dinesh Trivedi as Union Railway Minister after his removal was demanded by the party,has been renominated for a second term.

Mamata defended her party’s decision not to support Congress nominees in the elections to the Upper House from West Bengal.

As the Trinamool gave a seat to the Congress in the earlier election to the Rajya Sabha,the party was this time expected to support the Trinamool in this election,she

said

Deshmukh filed his nomination papers in Mumbai.

He was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan,state unit Congress president Manikrao

Thakre and party ministers Narayan Rane,Balasaheb Thorat,Harshvardhan Patil,Satej Patil,Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and MLC Ulhas Pawar among others.

The Union Science and Technology Minister is among the six members from Maharashtra whose Rajya Sabha membership term ends on April 2.

A former Rajya Sabha member,Jaya Bachchan filed her in Lucknow in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and other party MLAs.