Monday, August 22 2005 14:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) leaders Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat and seven others today (August 22, 2005) took oath as members of Rajya Sabha amid thumping of desks in the House.

The other new members are Suryakant Krupashanker Acharya, Surendra Motilal Patel (both Bharatiya Janata Party), Ahmed Patel (Congress), Swapan Sadhan Bose (Trinamool Congress), Chittabrata Majumdar (CPI-M), Abani Roy (Republican Socialist Party) and Arjun Kumar Sengupta (IND).

While Acharya and Surendra Patel took oath in Gujarati, Yechury and Karat took in English.

Majumdar and Roy took affirmation in Bangla, and Sengupta in English.

Ahmed Patel took oath in English.

The members took oath or affirmations in the presence of Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhwat.

Acharya, Ahmed Patel and Surendra Patel were elected as members of the Upper House from Gujarat, while Karat, Yechury, Majumdar, Roy, Bose and Sengupta represent West Bengal.