NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday swore in 12 newly elected members of the Rajya Sabha in the presence of deputy chairman Harivansh.
An official statement said Dharmshila Gupta, Manoj Kumar Jha, Sanjay Yadav, Govindbhai Laljibhai Dholakia, Subhash Chander, Harsh Mahajan, GC Chandrashekhar, L Murugan, Ashok Singh, Chandrakant Handore, Medha Vishram Kulkarni and Sadhna Singh were sworn in.
From April 3, their Rajya Sabha tenure begins for the next 6 years. Of the 12 MPs who took oath, seven are from the BJP, three from Congress and two from the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Three of the 12 MPs are from Bihar, 2 each from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and one each from Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, the terms of 54 members of the Rajya Sabha ended on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 2 and 3). Among them 49 completed their tenure on Tuesday, five, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, completed their terms on Wednesday.
Of the 54 Rajya Sabha MPs whose terms ended on Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 are Union ministers. Dr Manmohan Singh’s Rajya Sabha term ended on Wednesday after the former PM remained active in his 33-year-long parliamentary career.
Sonia Gandhi is all set to become a member of the Upper House for the first time from Rajasthan, filling the seat that will fall vacant after 91-year-old Singh completed his tenure on April 3.
Official sources said the terms of 7 Union ministers -- Dharamendra Pradhan, Mansukh Mandaviya, Purushottam Rupala, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V Muraleedharan, Narayan Rane and L Murugan – ended their RS terms on Tuesday. The term of environment minister Bhupendra Yadav and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ended on Wednesday. Vaishnaw has already been elected for the next term in Rajya Sabha.
54 MPs retired in April
As many as 54 members of the Rajya Sabha retired on April 2 and 3. Those administered oath are Dharmshila Gupta, Manoj Kumar Jha, Sanjay Yadav, Subhash Chander, Harsh Mahajan, G C Chandrashekhar, L Murugan, Ashok Singh, Chandrakant Handore, Medha Vishram Kulkarni and Sadhna Singh.