When actor Rekha was nominated to the Rajya Sabha last week, there were many references among Bollywood and the media to the fact that Jaya Bachchan, who represents the Samajawadi party in the upper house, may be less than thrilled. For many years in the 70s, an alleged relationship between Rekha and superstar Amitabh Bachchan was standard fare in film magazines like Stardust.

Yash Chopra's Silsila, which featured the Bachchans and Rekha, was seen as a case of art imitating life. Now, records show that Mrs Bachchan has formally requested a change in the seating plan in th Rajya Sabha. She had been assigned seat 91 by her party. Rekha was given seat 99. That appears to have been too close for comfort. Mrs Bachchan has asked her party to move her to seat 143, which is also reserved for the Samajwadi Party. That request has been sanctioned, the party informed the Rajya Sabha secretariat.

Sources in the Rajya Sabha secretariat say Mrs Bachchan wants to sit near other Samajwadi Party colleagues, so her party will have to find another member to occupy the seat near Rekha. Cricketer and national hero Sachin Tendulkar, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha along with Rekha, has scored a century in parliament too -he has been assigned Seat No 103. Rekha and Sachin are to be sworn in next week as members of parliament.