NEW DELHI: Legendary athlete P T Usha and musical genius Ilaiyaraaja were among the notable personalities nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Philanthropist and administrator of the Dharmasthala temple Veerendra Heggade and prominent screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad were also nominated to the Upper House of Parliament.

"Every Indian can find inspiration from the wonderful PT Usha Ji. Her sporting successes are well recognised, but her work as a mentor to aspiring athletes over the past few years is also deserving of praise. Congratulations to her for being a Rajya Sabha nominee "Narendra Modi, the prime minister, stated on Twitter.

The PM also shared his pictures with PT Usha and Ilaiyaraaja along with his congratulatory messages in multiple tweets.

"People of all ages have been captivated by @ilaiyaraaja Ji's artistic brilliance. His artwork masterfully captures a range of emotions. His life story is equally impressive because he came from poor beginnings and accomplished so much. I'm happy he has been selected for the Rajya Sabha "the prime minister noted.

RCP Singh's resignation and PM Modi's tweet, know what's special?

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to be the new Vice President of the country?

How will the BJP hold on to Muslims and Christians? PM Modi says 'Guru Mantra'