Nominated Members Rajya Sabha – Subramanian Swamy, Mary Kom, Suresh Gopi

  • The central government has decided to fill six of seven vacancies in the nominated member category with people close to the BJP.
  • The nominations are BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, former journalist and BJP ideologue Swapan Dasgupta, Malayalam actor and BJP star campaigner in Kerala Suresh Gopi, economist and former member of National Advisory Council Narendra Jadhav and boxer Mary Kom, government sources and the BJP confirmed independently.
  • A section of the establishment also sees cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu as another candidate.
  • For the seventh name, the government is split between actor Anupam Kher and journalist Rajat Sharma, sources said.
  • The move comes on a day when the Uttarakhand high court set aside President’s rule in the state.
  • The nominated members are recommended by the President on government’s advice from fields like literature, science, sports, art and social service.
  • On March 21, five members of the upper house — Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer, lyricist Javed Akhtar, theatre personality B Jayashree, educationalist Mrinal Miri and economist Bhalchandra Mungekar — retired. Last year, industry expert Ashok Ganguly and journalist HK Dua retired from RS.
  • Swamy, a Harvard-educated economist, was one of the petitioners in 2G spectrum scam that marked the decline of Congress-led UPA, and is a known critic of finance minister Arun Jaitley.
  • Sources said, Sidhu may be offered a seat as the BJP leadership fears he might join AAP as its chief ministerial candidate in Punjab. Sidhu, a three-time Lok Sabha member from Amritsar, stepped down to make way for Arun Jaitley during the 2014 general elections.
  • Boxing champion Mary Kom was nominated to ensure representation from the eastern states.

About Nominated Members In Rajya Sabha 

  • The Rajya Sabha (RS) or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India.
  • Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are nominated by the President of India for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services.
  • The remainder of the body is elected by the state and territorial legislatures.
  • Members sit for six-year terms, with one third of the members retiring every two years.

Composition of Rajya Sabha

  • Article 80 of the Constitution lays down the maximum strength of Rajya Sabha as 250, out of which 12 members are nominated by the President and 238 are representatives of the States and of the two Union Territories.
  • The present strength of Rajya Sabha, however, is 245, out of which 233 are representatives of the States and Union territories of Delhi and Puducherry and 12 are nominated by the President.
  • The members nominated by the President are persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service.