New Delhi, June 10, 2024 - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari took their oaths as members of the 18th Lok Sabha on Monday. Rajnath Singh retained the Lucknow seat, Amit Shah returned from Gandhinagar, and Nitin Gadkari secured his position from Nagpur.

The swearing-in ceremony also included senior BJP members Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste, who will assist pro-tem speaker B Mahtab in administering oaths over the next two days. Their role is crucial in overseeing the formalities as members take their seats in the new House.

However, notable absentees from the ceremony were opposition members K Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC), who chose not to take their oaths in protest. They were scheduled to be part of the panel of chairpersons but refrained from participating due to objections over procedural issues.

The Congress party expressed dissatisfaction with B Mahtab's appointment as pro-tem speaker, citing concerns that long-serving member K Suresh's claims were overlooked. This led to opposition members opting out of the oath-taking process as a symbolic gesture of protest.

In addition to the cabinet ministers, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also took their oaths as members of the new Lok Sabha, marking the beginning of their legislative duties in the current session.

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