Former PM Manmohan Singh takes oath as Rajya Sabha member

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday took oath as a Member of Rajya Sabha for the sixth term.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu administered the oath in his chamber to the 87-year-old Dr Singh.

According to a Rajya Sabha official,  Leader of the House Thawarchand Gehlot, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, Deputy Leader of the Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, Congress president and Lok Sabha Member Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Member Rahul Gandhi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot, Rajya Sabha Member Ahmed Patel were present on the occasion.

Singh was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan in a by-election on the August 19 further to the demise of sitting Member Madanlal Saini.

Singh was earlier elected to Rajya Sabha in 1991, 1995, 2001, 2007 and 2013. He was Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha during 1998-2004 and Leader of the House as the Prime Minister during 2004-14.

The 8-year-old Singh is the fourth oldest among the sitting members of the House of Elders after the 96-year-old Ram Jethmalani, the 91-year-old Motilal Vora and the 88-year-old CP Thakur.

While the 79-year-old Mahendra Prasad is serving the 7th term in Rajya Sabha, Jethmalani is in his sixth term and Mr Vora is serving fourth term in Rajya Sabha.