Patna, July 1 (IANS) Ten members elected unopposed to the Bihar Legislative Council were sworn in on Wednesday during a ceremony held in the main hall of the Legislative Council Annexe.
With the oath-taking completed, the newly elected members have formally begun their tenure in the Upper House of the Bihar Legislature.
Awadhesh Narayan Singh, the Chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council, administered the oath of office and secrecy to all ten members.
The newly sworn-in members represent both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan.
From the Janata Dal (United), Nishant Kumar, Bharti Mehta, Shivrani Devi Prajapati and Lalan Prasad took the oath of secrecy.
Similarly, from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), actor Pawan Singh, Sanjay Prakash Mayukh, Anil Thakur and Sheila Pandit were sworn in to the Upper House.
Other members, including Ashraf Ansari of LJP (Ram Vilas) and Sunil Kumar Singh of the RJD, were also sworn in.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several senior political leaders, including CM Samrat Choudhary, Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, and other senior leaders.
Leaders across party lines congratulated the new members and expressed hope for a productive tenure in the Legislative Council.
After taking the oath, Pawan Singh said he hoped a Film City would be established in Bihar to create employment opportunities for artists from the state.
He remarked that such a project would enable aspiring actors and performers to pursue careers within Bihar instead of relocating elsewhere.
Health Minister Nishant Kumar expressed gratitude to the JD(U) leadership for entrusting him with the responsibilities of both a Cabinet Minister and now a Member of the Legislative Council.
He said he would discharge his duties with honesty and dedication and pledged to take forward the development initiatives undertaken during the tenure of his father, Nitish Kumar, including the vision associated with the Saat Nishchay (Seven Resolves) programme.
Nishant also described it as a matter of pride to become a member of the same House in which his father had served.
RJD leader Sunil Kumar Singh said he would continue to raise issues concerning farmers, economically weaker sections and the common people in the Legislative Council.
Speaking about RJD founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, he stated that Bihar’s political landscape could not be imagined without him and credited Lalu Prasad Yadav’s political legacy with shaping many contemporary leaders.
First-time MLC Ashraf Ansari of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) described his election as a historic moment for grassroots party workers.
He thanked the party leadership, including the late Ram Vilas Paswan, Reena Paswan, Chirag Paswan and Arun Bharti, for placing their trust in him.
He pledged to fulfil his responsibilities sincerely and thanked party workers for their support, saying their efforts had made his election possible.
–IANS
ajk/pgh