New Delhi, Apr 4 : Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were among the 14 individuals who took the oath as members of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The oath was administered by Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in the new Parliament house building.
Sonia Gandhi was sworn in as a member of the Upper House from Rajasthan, while Ashwini Vaishnaw took the oath as a member representing Odisha. Additionally, Congress leader Ajay Maken from Karnataka, BJP leader R P N Singh from Uttar Pradesh, and BJP member Samik Bhattacharya from West Bengal were among those who took the Rajya Sabha oath.
Representatives from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), including Gola Babu Rao, Medha Raghunath Reddy, and Yerum Venkat Subba Reddy, also took the oath as members representing the state of Andhra Pradesh. Following the oath-taking, all members participated in a group photograph session with the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
Notably, Sonia Gandhi became a Rajya Sabha member for the first time, and her oath-taking ceremony was attended by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sonia Gandhi’s daughter, was also present during the ceremony.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Secretary-General P C Mody were among the dignitaries present during the event.
