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With Priyanka Gandi’s oath, all three Gandhis now in Parliament

With her taking oath as an MP, all three prominent Gandhis — Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi — are now members of Parliament, a first in Indian political history. 

With Priyanka Gandi’s oath, all three Gandhis now in Parliament

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday took the oath of office as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, marking a historic moment for the Gandhi family. With her taking oath as an MP, all three prominent Gandhis — Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi — are now members of Parliament, a first in Indian political history.

While Rahul Gandhi represents Raebareli, Sonia Gandhi serves as an MP in the Rajya Sabha.

Priyanka took the affirmation holding up a red and black copy of the Constitution. Dressed in a cream Kasavu saree from Kerala, Priyanka Gandhi rose to take oath amid cheers of ‘Jodo Jodo, Bharat Jodo’ from the Congress benches.

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She took oath of office with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, her mother and Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chief Sonia Gandhi, husband Robert Vadra, son Raihan and daughter Miraya watching from the galleries.

After taking oath, Priyanka Gandhi completed the formalities and then shared a warm hug with her brother and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. She met the Congress president after taking oath and took his blessings.

Priyanka secured her Lok Sabha seat from Wayanad in a recently concluded bypoll, succeeding her brother Rahul Gandhi, who vacated the constituency for Rae Bareli. Priyanka’s maiden electoral victory was a resounding one, as she defeated CPI candidate Sathyan Mokeri by a massive margin of 4,10,931 votes. BJP’s Navya Haridas was a distant third.

Reacting to Priyanka Gandhi’s oath, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla termed it a historic moment. “It is a historic moment today as Priyanka ji is entering the Parliament today…,” he said.

Congress leader and her fellow Parliamentarian from Kerala, Shashi Tharoor also expressed his happiness and praised her for wearing a Kerala saree for her oath. ” I am delighted as we had campaigned for her. I am happy that she won…as you can see, she is appropriately dressed in a Kerala saree,” Tharoor said outside the House.

Besides Priyanka, Congress leader Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan also took the oath as an MP in the Lok Sabha. Chavan emerged victorious in the Nanded bypoll, defeating BJP candidate Dr Santukrao Marotrao Hambarde by a razor-thin margin of 1,457 votes.

The two bypoll victories come as a morale booster for the Congress in an otherwise disappointing election season as the grand-old-party was reduced to 16 seats in the recently held Maharashtra assembly elections.

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