The inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha has begun. On the opening day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the government’s priorities and urged for cooperation from the opposition before they entered Parliament. In accordance with tradition, pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab administered the oath to elected MPs from all over the country.
A notable incident unfolded during this ceremony as Home Minister Amit Shah prepared to take his oath. Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP seated in the opposition benches, prominently displayed a copy of the Constitution as Shah approached. Rahul’s gesture quickly drew attention from cameras in the chamber. Shah, elected from Gandhinagar, Gujarat, followed Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s oath, taking office with heightened privacy.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress president, secured victories from Wayanad in Kerala and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh this election cycle. However, under the rules, he had to relinquish one seat and currently serves as an MP from Raebareli.
This parliamentary session holds significance on multiple fronts. It marks the first oath-taking ceremony of MPs in the newly constructed Parliament building, where the country’s policies will be shaped for the first time since Independence. Notably, after a decade, the opposition has strengthened its presence in the opposition benches. The ruling NDA boasts 293 MPs, with the opposition INDIA bloc comprising 234 MPs, leaving a margin of 59 MPs. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and 2019, the opposition saw significant gains against the NDA.