27 new RS members take oath

New Delhi, Apr 4 (UNI) Union Ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde and Praful Patel, BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Samajwadi Party leader Janeshwar Mishra were among the 27 newly-elected members from eleven states who took oath as new entrants to the Rajya Sabha today.

The oath was administered by Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat at a 30-minute ceremony at his chamber in the Parliament House.

Prominent among Those administered the oath of affirmation were BJP leader Kalraj Mishra (Uttar Pradesh), Mr Rajiv Shukla Congress-Maharashtra) and former Union Minister Vikram Verma (BJP-MP).

The others newly-elected members are Mr Ali Anwar (JD-U--Bihar), Mr Rajniti Prasad (RJD-Bihar), Mr Mahendra Sahni (JDU--Bihar), Mr Kanjibhai Maganbhai Patel (BJP--Gujarat), Mrs Viplov Thakur (Congress--HP), Mr K B Shanappa (BJP-Karmataka), Mr Rajasekhara Murthy (JD-S--Karnataka), Mr Narayan Singh Kesari (BJP--MP), Ms Anusuiya Uike (BJP--MP), Mr Balavant Apte (BJP-Maharashtra), Mr Vasant Chavan (NCP- Maharashtra), Mr Bhagirathi Majhi (BJP-Orissa), Ms Sushila Tiriya (Congress--Orissa), Krishna Lal Balmiki (BJP-Rajasthan), Mr Satya Vrat (Congress--Uttaranchal), Dr Barun Mukherjee (AIFB--WB) and Mr Mukul Roy (AITC--WB).

With the swearing in today, the number of new Rajya Sabha members who took oath during the past two days has gone up to 44.

Seventeen members, including Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan, Union Law Minister H R Bhardwaj, former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi Mr S S Ahluwalia (BJP--Jharkhand) and Mr Vinay Katiyar (BJP--UP), were administered the oath yesterday.

While, Mr Rehman Khan (INC--Karnataka), Mr Bhardwaj, Mr Ahluwalia, Mr Mahendra Prasad and Ms Mabel Rebello were re-elected to the House, Mr Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena-Maharashtra), and Mr Vinay Katiyar joined the House for the first time.

Mrs Sushma Swaraj, Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, Mr Kalraj Mishra, Mr Janeshwar Mishra and Mr Rajiv Shukla were re-elected to the House.

From among those who took oath today, the maximum number of 12 belong to the BJP followed by Congress (six), JDU and NCP (two each) and RJD, JDS, SP, AIFB and AITC (one each).

Those who took oath yesterday included five from the Congress, three each from the BJP and CPI(M), two from BSP and one each from the Shiv Sena, JDU, RLD and an Independent.

Mr Shinde who was to take oath yesterday, could not come and instead, was sworn in today.

During the past two days 44 new members were administered the oath of office and secrecy. With yesterday's swearing in, the BJP added 15 new members to its tally in the Rajya Sabha while the Congress added 11 and JD(U) three.

Ms Sushma Swaraj, Mr Narayan Singh Kesari, Mr Vikram Verma and Ms Anusuiya Uike (all BJP) were elected from Madhya Pradesh. Ms Swaraj was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1990 and again in April 2000. She was also a member of the 11th and 12th Lok Sabha. As Union Minister, she held several important portfolios including Information and Broadcasting, Telecommunication, Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs. She was the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi from October to December 1998.

Mr Kesari was earlier elected to Rajya Sabha in June 2004.

Mr Vikram Verma was elected in April 2000 and he was the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports from August 2002 to May 2004.

Ms Anusuiya Uike has been eleceted for the first time.

Mr Balwant Apte (BJP), Mr Praful Patel and Mr Vasant Chavan (both NCP), Mr Rajiv Shukla and Mr Sushil Shinde (both Congress) were elected from Maharashtra.

Mr Apte and Mr Praful Patel were earlier elected to RS in April 2000. Mr Patel was also a member of the 10th, 11th and 12th Lok Sabha.

Mr Vasant Chavan was elected to the Upper House earlier in April 2005, Mr Rajiv Shukla in April 2000 while Mr Shinde was a member of the House from 1992-1998 and a member of the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha.

Mr Shinde, presently Union Minister for Power, was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from January 2003 to October 2004 and Governor of Andhra Pradesh from October 2004 to January 2006.

Veteran Samajwadi Party leader Janeshwar Mishra who was elected from Uttar Pradesh, has also been a member of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th Lok Sabha. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1994 and re-elected in April 2000. During his long political career, he held several important Ministerial portfolios like Petroleum and Natural Gas, Water Resource, Railways Communication etc.

Mr Kalraj Mishra (BJP-UP) was earlier elected to the Upper House in April 1978 and June 2001.

Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) has been elected from Bihar.

He was earlier elected to Rajya Sabha in April 2000. As Union Minister of State, he held several important portfolios including Coal and Mines, Law and Justice and Information and Broadcasting.

Mr Arun Jaitley (BJP) got elected from Gujarat. He was earlier elected in April 2000. He also held several important portfolios like Information and Broadcasting, Disinvestment, Law, Justice and Company Affairs, Shipping, Commerce and Industry as the Union Minister.

Mr Rajashekhara Murthy (JD-S) was elected from Karnataka and was a member of the 7th Lok Sabha. He was elected to Rajya Sabha in April 1994 and again in April 2000. He was also Union Minister for Surface Transport (Independent Charge) from September 1995 to June 1996.

Ms Sushila Tiriya of the Congress has got elected from Orissa and was earlier elected to Rajya Sabha in July 1986.

Ms Viplove Thakur, Mr Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mr Satya Vrat (all Congress) were elected from Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal respectively.

Dr Barun Mukherjee of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), Mr Krishna Lal Balmiki and Mr Bhagirathi Majhi (both BJP) were elected from West Bengal, Rajasthan and Orissa respectively.

Mr Mahendra Sahni and Mr Ali Anwar (both Janata Dal-United), and Mr Rajniti Prasad (RJD) were elected from Bihar while Mr K B Shanappa (BJP) and Mr Mukul Roy (Trinamool Congress) were elected from Karnataka and West Bengal respectively.

Mr Kanjibhai Maganbhai Patel (BJP) was elected from Gujarat.

UNI