From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The lone Rajya Sabha MP from Meghalaya, WR Kharlukhi will take oath on the first day of the Parliament session on Monday.
Rajya Sabha Chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu will administer the oath or affirmation to the remaining members newly elected to the upper house. While most of the Upper House MPs have already taken oath, Kharlukhi, president of the state unit of the ruling NPP could not come from Meghalaya because of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ceremony will be held inside Rajya Sabha chambers during inter-session. Barring Kharlukhi all other newly elected Rajya Sabha members from the North East have taken oath earlier.
Among the members who have already taken oath are Nabam Rebia from Arunachal Pradesh; Bhubaneswar Kalita and Biswajit Daimary from Assam; Maharaja Leishemba Sanajaoba from Manipur — all from BJP. K Vanlalvena from Mizoram belongs to Mizo National Front. Both NPP and MNF are part of BJP-led NDA alliance.
Of the new members, 49 were elected to the upper house for the first time including Kharlukhi while 12 were re-elected. After vacancies arose in March in 20 states, 42 were elected unopposed, including 28 first timers, and elections were held for 19 vacancies including one in Meghalaya and 15 other first-timers won a berth in the Rajya Sabha. Kharlukhi has arrived in the national capital.