President Nominates Ujjwal Nikam, Shringla & 2 Others to Rajya Sabha
Person in News
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President Droupadi Murmu has nominated Ujjwal Nikam, C. Sadanandan Master, Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Dr. Meenakshi Jain as members of the Rajya Sabha for a term of six years from the date they took oath in the Rajya Sabha. A notification to this effect was issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 12 July 2025.
Nominated Members in Rajya Sabha
According to Article 80 of the Constitution, the total strength of the Rajya Sabha is 250.
12 members are nominated by the President of India, having special knowledge or practical experience
experience in respect of such matters as science, art, literature and social service.
238 members are elected by the members of the legislative assembly of 28 states and the three Union Territories of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.
However, the current strength of the Rajya Sabha is 245, with 233 members representing 28 states and Union Territories.
Rajya Sabha or the Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India.
Term of the Rajya Sabha Members
The Rajya Sabha members have a tenure of six years, and one-third of the members retire every two years. It is a permanent body that the President cannot dissolve.
About Ujjwal Nikam
Ujjawal Nikam is a lawyer by profession. He became famous after the Maharashtra government appointed him as a public prosecutor in the 26/11 terror case. Ten gunmen of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based terrorist group, attacked Mumbai on 26 November 2008, in which 174 people were killed. Ajmal Kasab of Pakistan was the sole surviving terrorist. He was tried in court, convicted and hanged.
Ujjawal Nikam was the lawyer of the Maharashtra government who secured Ajmal Kasab's conviction.
He contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Mumbai North Central seat on the BJP ticket, which he lost.
C.Sadanand Master
He is a BJP leader from Kerala, and in 1994, both his legs were chopped off by Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadre. Sadanand Master is a teacher and a social activist. He has been nominated for his social work and for his contribution to society.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a Gorkha from the Darjeeling Hills in West Bengal, is a former Indian Foreign Service officer who served as Indian Foreign Secretary from 2020 to 2022.
He served as the chief coordinator of India’s G-20 presidency in 2023 and was also the Indian Ambassador to the United States from 2019 to 2020.
During his ambassadorship, he played a crucial role in organising the “Howdy Modi” event held in Texas in 2019.
Dr Meenaskhi Jain
Dr Meenaksji Jain is a scholar, researcher and historian. She was an Associate Professor of history at Gargi College, University of Delhi.
She has authored many books on Indian religion and civilisation and is presently a Senior Fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
Her scholarly works are focused on cultural and religious developments in medieval and early modern India.
She was honoured with Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, by the government of India in 2020.
