New Delhi: Fourteen prominent leaders, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, were inducted into the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The swearing-in ceremony was administered by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who also serves as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The oath-taking ceremony took place in the esteemed new Parliament building in Delhi, marking a pivotal moment in the political careers of the newly appointed Rajya Sabha members.
Sonia Gandhi, taking the oath as a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan for the first time, joined the ranks of the Upper House, signifying her continued engagement in the realm of national governance. Similarly, Ashwini Vaishnaw was sworn in as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Odisha, adding to the representation from the state.
Among the distinguished leaders sworn in were Congress stalwarts Ajay Maken and Syed Naseer Hussain from Karnataka, along with BJP leader RPN Singh from Uttar Pradesh and Samik Bhattacharya from West Bengal, highlighting the diverse political spectrum represented in the Upper House.
Sanjay Kumar Jha of JD(U) also took the oath as a member from Bihar, further enriching the regional diversity in the Rajya Sabha. Subhashish Khuntia and Debashish Samantaray, both from BJD, were sworn in as members from Odisha, while Madan Rathore of BJP represented Rajasthan.
The list of newly sworn-in Rajya Sabha MPs also includes Golla Baburao, Meda Raghunadha Reddy, Yerram Venkata Subba Reddy, and Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju, representing various political parties from Telangana.