Ujjwal Nikam, Harshvardhan Shringla… These 4 personalities will go to Rajya Sabha, nominated by President Murmu

New Delhi: President Draupadi Murmu has nominated four new members for Rajya Sabha. These include well-known lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, former Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla, historian Dr. Meenakshi Jain and Kerala social worker C. Sadanandan Master.

Ujjwal Nikam is a well-known criminal lawyer
Ujjwal Nikam has been a government lawyer in many high-profile criminal cases, including the 26/11 Mumbai attack case. Harshvardhan Shringla has been the Foreign Secretary of India and has a long experience in the field of foreign policy.

Sadanandan Master has been a victim of political violence
Meenakshi Jain is a well-known professor of history, while Sadanandan Master has been associated with education and social service for a long time. He himself has been a victim of political violence in Kerala. Each of these names has a special identity in their respective fields.

These four have been nominated under Article 80 of the Constitution, under which the President can send some special people to the Rajya Sabha on the basis of their work and experience. This nomination has been done to fill the vacant seats of Rajya Sabha.

What do the rules say?
Under Article 80 of the Indian Constitution, Rajya Sabha can have a total of 250 members, out of which 238 members are elected from the states and union territories, and 12 members are nominated by the President. The President can nominate only those persons to the Rajya Sabha who have made a special contribution in literature, science, art and social service. They are nominated under Article 80(1)(a) and 80(3).

The purpose of this is to give a voice in Parliament to experts of such fields who are not able to reach Parliament through general elections. Since independence, the President has nominated many celebrities to the Rajya Sabha. Prominent names among them are Lata Mangeshkar, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Zakir Hussain, Ravindra Jain, Rekha, Sachin Tendulkar.