Rajya Sabha Elections: Samajwadi Party's Jaya Bachchan wins from Uttar Pradesh

Veteran Bollywood actor and Samajwadi Party candidate Jaya Bachchan won the Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

Initial reports suggest that Bachchan got 38 votes and as per the pre-poll arrangement, Raja Bhaiyya had voted for her.

Bachchan is the richest parliamentarian to be elected in the Upper House. During the filing of her nomination, wife of the Indian film industry legend Amitabh Bachchan had declared assets worth Rs 1,000 crore.

Her declared worth would put her above BJP MP Ravindra Kishore Sinha. When Sinha entered the Rajya Sabha in 2014, he declared assets worth Rs 800 crore.

According to a report in Times of India, Jaya Bachchan and her husband, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, own following assets declared in her affidavit.

1. They have immovable assets worth Rs 460 crore that includes 3,175 sqm residential property in Brignogan Plage in France. They also have additional properties in Noida, Bhopal, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Gandhinagar

2. Amitabh Bachchan owns a 3-acre agricultural plot worth Rs 5.7 crore in Barabanki while Jaya Bachchan owns a 1.22-hectare plot worth Rs 2.2 crore in Kakori, Uttar Pradesh.

3. Jaya Bachchan owns gold and jewellery worth Rs 62 crore while Amitabh Bachchan has jewellery worth Rs 36 crore

4. The couple owns 12 vehicles that include Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, Porsche, Range Rover, Tata Nano, and a tractor. These vehicles amount to Rs 13 crore

5. Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan own watches worth Rs 51 lakh and Rs 3.4 crore, respectively

When Jaya Bachchan had filed for nominations in 2012, she had declared assets worth Rs 493 crore. 

Bachchan was in news recently after her Naresh Agarwal, who joined BJP recently, attacked her with derogatory remarks. 

Miffed over not getting ticket for the Rajya Sabha polls, Agarwal used insulting words for the Samajawadi Party leader.

Agarwal, who was inducted in the party at its New Delhi headquarters on Monday, embarrassed BJP with his acerbic remark on Bachchan.

‘Films mein kaam karne wali se meri hesiyat kardi gayi, unke naam par humara ticket kataa gaya, maine isko bhi bahut utchit nahi samjha. Meri koi shart par nahi aya, koi Rajya Sabka ki ticket ki maang nahi hai (I have been compared with those who dance and work in films. I am not here on the condition of Rajya Sabha ticket),’ Agarwal said.

The statement left BJP red-faced with spokesperson Sambit Patra immediately distancing the party from Agarwal’s statement. 

Just hours after his induction in the party, Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter to slam him for his remark. 

 ‘Naresh Agarwal has joined Bhartiya Janata Party. He is welcome. However, his comments regarding Jaya Bachhan ji are improper and unacceptable,’ she said in a tweet. 

In a quick u-turn, Agarwal apologised for his remarks.