Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma and eight other members recently elected or re-elected to the Rajya Sabha today took oath or affirmation of allegiance to the Constitution.
Sharma, Deputy Leader of the Congress party in Rajya Sabha, was recently re-elected to the Upper House from Himachal Pradesh.
He took affirmation of allegiance to the Constitution in English and then went to Chairman Hamid Ansari who warmly shook his hands and said "welcome back."
Others who took oath included Pratap Singh Bajwa, Congress leader from Punjab who was accommodated in Upper House by the party after Amrinder Singh was made head of party in the state. Bajwa sweared in the name of God in English.
Naresh Gujral (SAD), who too was re-elected to the Upper House, took oath in English.
Besides Bajwa and Gujral, others who were elected from Punjab -- Shamsher Singh Dullo (Cong) and Shwatt Malik (BJP) -- also took oath.
From Assam, Ripun Bora and Ranee Narah (Cong) took oath in English, swearing in the name of God.
K Somaprasad (CPI-M) who was elected to Rajya Sabha from Kerala, too took oath. Jharna Das Baidya (CPI-M), re-elected to Upper House from Tripura, also took oath.
Members after taking oath or affirmation of allegiance to the Constitution went up to Ansari to shake his hands and respectfully bowed to members of the House and greeted them.
Ansari said he, on behalf of the House and himself,
extended a cordial welcome to the re-elected and newly elected members of the House.
Extending his felicitations, he said he looked forward to their valuable contribution to the functioning of Parliamentary democracy.
