Madhusudan Mistry, pitted against BJP leader Narendra Modi in the Vadodra Lok Sabha seat, is among ten persons who took oath as Rajya Sabha members today.
BJP's C P Thakur (Bihar) and Viplove Thakur (Himachal Pradesh) and Wansuk Syiem (Meghalaya), both from Congress, were the three members re-elected to the Upper House in the recently held biennial elections to Rajya Sabha.
The ten took oath in the Chamber of Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari in Parliament House.
Other members who took oath today are Congress' Mohd Ali Khan (Andhra Pradesh), BJP's Lal Sinh Vadodia (Gujarat), INLD's Ram Kumar Kashyap, Independent member from Maharashtra Sanjay Dattatraya Kakade and Odisha's Sarojini Hembram and Kalpataru Das, both BJD, a statement from the Rajya Sabha secretariat said.
Madhusudan Devram Mistry entered Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
The present strength of Rajya Sabha is 245, out of which 233 are representatives of the states and Union territories of Delhi and Puducherry and 12 are nominated by the President.
The members nominated by the President are persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of fields like literature, science, art and social service.
