NEW DELHI, Apr 22 (Agencies) : With Parliament session set to begin on Monday, the government is likely to nominate new names to the Rajya Sabha as some seats have fallen vacant. Among the names that are likely to be nominated in the Upper House are BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has been taking on the Gandhis in the Supreme Court on the issue of corruption, former MP and cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, boxer Mary Kom, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi, former planning commission member and economist Narendra Jadhav and veteran columnist Swapan Dasgupta.

Sources said the names have been forwarded to President Pranab Mukherjee for final declaration.

The Upper House has 12 nominated members in its total strength of 245. At present, the upper House has 10 nominated members. On the government’s recommendation, the President nominates members from those who have special knowledge or have made their mark in literature, science, art and social service.

With their nomination, the BJP expects to tilt the number game into its favour a tad. The nominations will also give the NDA more lung power in the House dominated by Opposition bigwigs. BJP has chosen two leaders — Swamy and Sidhu — to give them entry to the Upper House.