BJP's Nadda replaces Goyal as Rajya Sabha's Leader of House
Bharatiya Janata Party National President JP Nadda has been appointed the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, succeeding Union minister Piyush Goyal, who has moved to the 18th Lok Sabha from the North Mumbai seat. Nadda was among the 41 candidates elected unopposed to the Upper House in February this year. In addition to Nadda, the BJP nominated three members—Ashwini Vaishnaw, L Murugan, and party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi—for a second term in the recent Rajya Sabha elections.
Nadda, 11 others from Rajya Sabha in Cabinet
In addition to his new role, Nadda has been allocated the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as well as the Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolio in the Cabinet. Besides Nadda, there are 11 members of the Upper House who are in the Union Council of Ministers. Despite speculation that Nadda would step down as BJP chief after his swearing-in as an MP following the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, it appears he will retain his leadership role within the party.
Inaugural session of Lok Sabha begins
Meanwhile, the first session of the Parliament after the Lok Sabha elections began on Monday. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The pro-tem speaker then started administering the oath to the newly-elected members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
INDIA bloc launches protest
Separately, several leaders of the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament—holding copies of the Constitution on Monday. The MPs—including the Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi—chanted slogans like "long live Constitution," "we will save Constitution," and "save our democracy," in the Parliament complex. The Trinamool Congress's Sudip Bandopadhyay and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's TR Baalu were also present at the protest.
