LUCKNOW: Jaya Bachchan and Amir Alam Khan of the Samajwadi Party were declared elected unopposed in the by-elections to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh after the last date of withdrawal of nominations expired on Thursday.

The by-elections were caused by Ms. Bachchan's disqualification for holding an office for profit and the resignation of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani, industrialist. While Ms. Bachchan, whose name appears as Bachchan Jaya Amitabh in the nomination papers, was renominated and retained her seat, Mr. Khan filled the vacancy caused by Mr. Ambani's resignation.

Ms. Bachchan makes her re-entry to the Rajya Sabha after being disqualified from its membership in March this year following the President upholding the Election Commission's notice to disqualify her for holding an office of profit.

The Commission had pronounced its verdict on a petition filed by a Congress candidate, Madan Mohan Shukla, who alleged that when Ms. Bachchan filed her nomination for the June 2004 biennial elections she was holding an office of profit (Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council). Mr. Shukla had further stated that to escape disqualification she resigned giving a backdate in her papers, and her resignation was accepted by the State Government.

Mr. Shukla's charges were upheld by the Commission.

However, the Congress did not put up a candidate in the by-elections with the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Salman Khurshid saying the party did not have the requisite number of MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha to back its cause.

Both Ms. Bachchan and Mr. Khan will remain Rajya Sabha MPs till June 2010.

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