‘Will win with support of big party like BJP’: Jaya Prada files nomination

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Apr 03, 2019 : Actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada chose the occasion of her birthday today to file her nomination papers from Rampur, Hindustan Times reported.

 

Dressed in a red and gold saree, Jaya Prada visited a temple, a mosque and a mausoleum before filing her papers. She is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Rampur on a BJP ticket where she will go up against Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan. The BSP and RLD are supporting Azam Khan from Rampur.

After filing her nomination papers, 57-year-old Jaya Prada said, “I feel blessed. Being fielded on a BJP ticket and getting to file my nomination today is a special gift on my birthday.”

Jaya Prada has earlier represented Rampur MP twice in the Lok Sabha. Back then, she had fought the elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket.

She was introduced into politics by Azam Khan in 2004. He has since then turned her bitter critic. A nine-term MLA from Rampur, Azam Khan is contesting his first Lok Sabha election this time.

When asked who she was contesting again, Jaya Prada who had earlier compared Azam Khan to Allauddin Khilji, simply said, “With the support of a big party like BJP, I am confident of win.”

Jaya Prada began her political career in 1994 when she joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) at the best of its founder NT Rama Rao. In 1996, she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.

After differences cropped up with party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, she left the TDP and joined the Samajwadi Party. In 2009, differences cropped up between her and Azam Khan.

She was thrown out of the Samajwadi Party in 2010 after she came out in support of former party general secretary Amar Singh.

Amar Singh and Jaya Prada floated their own party the Rashtriya Lok Manch and fielded candidates on 360 of 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh for the 2012 assembly elections. The party did not win even a single seat and eventually both of them joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal in 2014. Jaya Prada was given a ticket to contest from the Bijnore seat for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but lost the election.

Jaya Prada left the RLD and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 26, 2019.