Mayawati files nomination for Rajya Sabha

Outgoing Uttar Pradesh CM and BSP president Mayawati on Tuesday filed her nomination for the RS, after the BSP's defeat at the recent polls 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 on Tuesday, 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 in Lucknow on Tuesday.

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 on Monday 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.

Mayawati's wealth jumps 25 percent to Rs 111 crore in 2 years

BSP supremo Mayawati may have lost the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh but the defeated chief minister's wealth as declared has jumped to Rs 111 crore, a 25 percent increase in the last two years.

And 56-year-old Mayawati's assets made public on Tuesday has doubled in the five years since she became chief minister in 2007 on the back of a tumping BSP victory.

During public meetings, she often claims to represent the poorest of the state's poor Dalits.

According to the declaration made by Mayawati at the time of filing of nomination papers to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, her immovable properties, both residential and commercial in Lucknow and Delhi, cash in banks, jewellery both gold and diamonds stood at Rs 111 crores and 64 lakhs.

In 2010 when she fought the vidhan parishad elections , Mayawati's total assets were valued at around Rs 88 crore while in 2007 it was worth around Rs. 52.27 crores.

Mayawati's accounts in Union Bank of India, Moti Bagh, Delhi, Bank of India, Parliament Street, New Delhi, State Bank of India, Vidhan Sabha Marg, Lucknow, and SBI, Sansad Bhawan, together have over Rs 13.95 crore.

Besides, she has 10.20 lakh cash in hand, according to the declaration.
She has 1034.260 gms gold in the form of jewellery and 380.17 carats diamond worth Rs 96.53 lakh besides a silver dinner set weighing 18.5 kgs worth Rs. 9.32 lakh.

Among the other assets she mentioned were murals worth Rs.15 lakh and revolver worth Rs. 5390.

Among the immovable properties, the BSP supremo has two commercial buildings in Connaught Place in the national capital (B-34 ground floor and B-34 1st floor with areas of 3628.02 and 4535.02 square-ft respectively) costing Rs 9.36 crore and Rs. 9.45 crore.

She has two residential buldings -- one in New Delhi (23,24 SP Marg New Delhi) and another in Lucknow (9 Mall Avenue) currently valued at Rs. 61.86 crore and Rs. 15.68 crore respectively.

Both the residential buildings were purchased in 2009 and 2010 when she was the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. The commercial buildings were purchased in 2004 and 2005.

In the loans or dues column, she has shown Rs 87,68,724 as security from tenants (Bata India Ltd and V.C Solutions Pvt Limited).

The BSP president has shown Rs 6,51,53,538 as total income in tax return for the financial year 2010-11.

She has no agriculture land nor there is any mention of vehicles in the declaration.