On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took his oath as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Raebareli, carrying a copy of the Indian Constitution.
He was among the remaining MPs who took their oaths today, following the 262 newly elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who were sworn in on Monday during the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha, ANI reported.
Several BJP leaders, in the past, have indicated a desire to amend the Indian Constitution if they secure a significant majority in Parliament. This has raised concerns among opposition leaders who fear it could lead to an erosion of democratic principles. Rahul Gandhi’s oath with a copy of the constitution in his hand may be a symbolic response to that.
Accompanied by Congress Parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul Gandhi’s oath-taking was highlighted in a post on the Congress Party’s social media platform X. The post included a video of the ceremony and quoted him affirming, “I, Rahul Gandhi… Having been elected a member of the House of People, do solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, and that I will faithfully discharge the duty upon which I am about to enter. Jai Hind Jai Samvidan.”
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi secured victories in both Raebareli and Wayanad constituencies. He defeated the Communist Party of India’s Annie Raja in Wayanad by a margin of 364,422 votes and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli by 390,030 votes.
Following his decision to resign as MP from Wayanad and retain the Raebareli seat, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced Priyanka Gandhi as the party’s candidate for Wayanad. If Priyanka Gandhi wins, she will join her brother Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, while Sonia Gandhi serves in the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s efforts to reach a consensus on the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha were thwarted as the opposition INDIA bloc nominated 8-time MP K Suresh for the position. This nomination follows the BJP’s Kota MP Om Birla filing for the same role. Birla previously served as the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha. This marks the first time that elections for the Speaker of the Lok Sabha will be held, breaking the tradition of consensus-based appointments for the roles of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi stated that the opposition had conveyed to Rajnath Singh their willingness to support the NDA’s candidate for Speaker on the condition that the Deputy Speaker position would be allotted to the opposition.