Amit Shah sworn in as RS member, Smriti Irani takes oath in Sanskrit

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani took oath as Rajya Sabha member on Friday. This marks Shah's and Irani's maiden entry into the Upper House of the Parliament. Chairman, M Venkaiah Naidu, administered the oath of secrecy to both the BJP leaders.

After taking the oath in Sanskrit, Irani touched Naidu's feet and sought blessings.

It will be Shah's first stint as a parliamentarian, while Irani will enter for her second term. The BJP lacks majority in the house. Shah's entry into the Rajya Sabha is likely to give a a boost to the party.

The BJP chief is making his debut in Parliament. Shah and Irani were elected to the upper house from Gujarat earlier this month. Shah has been a five-term MLA in the Gujarat assembly.

The Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat, held earlier in the month, saw high-octane drama when the Election Commission rejected the votes of two dissident Congress MLAs for violating electoral rules, enabling Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, beat the BJP's Balwantsinh Rajput with 44 votes.

Following Patel's victory, the party cracked the whip against 8 rebel MLAs, including former Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, expelling them for six years for anti-party activities.

OneIndia News