Twelve members of the Rajya Sabha took oath of office on Wednesday even as 54 members, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and nine Union ministers, bid adieu to the Upper House of Parliament.

Dharmshila Gupta, Manoj Kumar Jha, Sanjay Yadav, Govindbhai Laljibhai Dholakia, Harsh Mahajan, G C Chandrashekhar, L Murugan are some of the new members of the House.

“Hon’ble Vice-President of India & Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to the elected Members of Rajya Sabha in Parliament House today- Smt. Dharmshila Gupta ji, Prof. Manoj Kumar Jha ji, Shri Sanjay Yadav ji, Shri Govindbhai Laljibhai Dholakia ji, Shri Subhash Chander ji, Shri Harsh Mahajan ji, Shri G.C. Chandrashekhar ji, Dr. L. Murugan ji, Shri Ashok Singh ji, Shri Chandrakant Handore ji, Smt. Medha Vishram Kulkarni ji, Smt. Sadhna Singh ji,” the vice president’s office said on ‘X’.

While Manmohan Singh ended his 33-year-long parliamentary innings in the Rajya Sabha, senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi would join the esteemed House for the first time.

Singh (91) known for ushering in many bold reforms in the economy became a member of the House for the first time in October 1991. He was the finance minister in the Narasimha Rao government from 1991 to 1996 and the prime minister from 2004 to 2014.

Gandhi will enter the Upper House from Rajasthan, filling the seat that fell vacant after Singh completed his tenure.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Purshottam Rupala, Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Narayan Rane, and MoS Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, are the Union ministers who ended their tenure in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ended their tenure on Wednesday.

All these Union ministers, except Vaishnaw, are contesting the Lok Sabha elections and have not been given another term in the Upper House. Vaishnaw and Murugan have been given another Rajya Sabha term.

An official statement said among those retiring from the House is Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan who has been renominated to the Council of States by her party for another term. Manoj Kumar Jha has also been renominated by his party RJD for another term in the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, and Naseer Hussain (Congress) from Karnataka.

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi will not be in the Upper House as he lost his election from Himachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the Congress heaved praise on its stalwart leader Manmohan Singh.

In a letter to Singh, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said “very few people can say they have served our nation with more dedication and devotion than you. Very few people have accomplished as much as you for the nation and its people”.

“…The economic prosperity and stability that we enjoy today is built on the foundations laid by you along with our former Prime Minister, Bharat Ratna, Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao. The current set of leaders who have reaped the benefits of your work are reluctant to credit you due to political biases….,” he said.

BJP-ally and former Union minister Milind Deora said Singh leaves behind “a legacy of dignity and commitment to national service.”

“Throughout his tenure, Manmohan Singh displayed a rare combination of humility, intellect, and statesmanship, earning respect and admiration from across the political spectrum. Your leadership, particularly during challenging times, has been a source of inspiration for many, including myself,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said in a social media post.

BJP leader Jitin Prasada, who was a minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, said, “As a first-time young minister in the Union cabinet, I had the honour to work under the leadership of former PM Manmohan Singh ji. As he retires from the Rajya Sabha today, he leaves behind a legacy where he will be remembered for his invaluable contribution to the nation and his quiet dignity.”

During his tenure as prime minister from 2004 to 2014, Singh led the nation through a period of significant economic growth despite facing challenges such as the global financial crisis of 2008.

His government implemented landmark schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Right to Information Act (RTI), empowering millions of citizens and enhancing transparency in governance.

The historic Indo-US nuclear deal was also signed during Manmohan Singh’s tenure. Describing Singh, former US president Barack Obama famously said, “Whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens.”