New Delhi: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) president M Venkaiah Naidu, BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) supremo Mayawati, Leader of Opposition in the House Jaswant Singh, former Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla, Industrialist Anil Ambani and actress Jaya Bachchan were among 51 who took oath as members of the Rajya Sabha today (Jul 5, 2004).

Senior BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Pramod Mahajan and Arun Shourie as well as Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Oscar Fernandes and Jairam Ramesh also took oath.

Naidu and Joshi took oath in Sanskrit.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek Bachchan and Ambani's wife Tina were among those who watched proceedings from the visitors' gallery.