Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 13: President Droupadi Murmu has nominated four eminent personalities to the Rajya Sabha, including top lawyer Ujjwal Nikam and former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. The other two nominated members are social worker C Sadanandan Master and renowned historian Meenakshi Jain.
A gazette notification issued by the government stated that the nominations were made to fill four vacant seats in the Upper House of Parliament. As per constitutional provisions, the President can nominate up to 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from distinguished fields such as literature, science, art, and social service.
Seventy-two-year-old Ujjwal Nikam is known for handling several high-profile terrorism cases, including the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. He also served as special public prosecutor in the murder trials of Gulshan Kumar and BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. A Padma Shri awardee, Mr Nikam had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Mumbai North Central on a BJP ticket but lost to Congress's Varsha Gaikwad.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a seasoned diplomat, served as India’s Foreign Secretary from January 2020 to April 2022. He also played a key role as Chief Coordinator of the G20 Summit hosted by India in 2023 and has held critical diplomatic assignments, including Indian Ambassador to the US and High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
C Sadanandan Master, an educationist and social worker from Kerala, lost both his legs in a brutal political attack allegedly by CPM workers over three decades ago. Despite his disability, he has remained active in public life and contested the 2016 Kerala assembly elections from Kuthuparamba.
Meenakshi Jain, an accomplished historian and Padma Shri recipient in 2020, has made significant contributions to Indian education and historical research. She was earlier associated with the Indian Council of Historical Research.
These nominations reflect the government’s intention to bring expertise from diverse fields into the Rajya Sabha.