Mayawati files nomination for Rajya Sabha

Lucknow, Mar 13: Outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP president Mayawati on Tuesday filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha. After the BSP's defeat at the hustings, speculation had been rife about Mayawati entering the Upper House from the state.

She had earlier held meetings of party leaders to discuss the coming biennial polls to the Upper House. After filing her papers, Mayawati said her party has decided that as the Lok Sabha elections are drawing nearer and ever since Samajwadi Party got absolute majority in UP, there has been a spurt in incidents of atrocities and violence in the state and it has become necessary to raise these issues in the Parliament in a forceful manner.

"The party men felt...if I go to Parliament, I could raise these issues there," she told reporters here. The BSP chief also said, "The party men have said I should increase party's support base all over the country and not just in UP. They said they would not want me to devote all my time here...now that the Lok Sabha elections are near, I am free to devote my time to increase my base all over the country."

Her party colleague and Rajya Sabha member Munkad Ali, whose term would be coming to an end soon, also filed nomination along with her. BSP last night had decided to send Ali for another term after party legislators and officer bearers raised their objections to the nomination of retired bureaucrats.

Mayawati's cabinet secretary Shahshak Shekhar Singh was also in the race for the Rajya Sabha. The BSP chief is presently the member of the UP Legislative Council and would be resigning from the House on her election to the Rajya Sabha.

PTI