Nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, philanthropist and former Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty, 73, is the 12th nominated member in the Upper House of Parliament. The other 11 are three-time BJP Lok Sabha MP from UP Ram Shakal; author and RSS leader Rakesh Sinha; Bharatanatyam exponent Sonal Mansingh; former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi; senior lawyer and former BJP leader Mahesh Jethmalani; musician Ilaiyaraaja; philanthropist and the hereditary administrator of the Dharmasthala Temple Veerendra Heggade; former athlete and Asian Games gold medallist P T Usha; BJP leader from the Gujjar community in Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Ali; Telugu screenwriter and film director V Vijayendra Prasad; and Punjab educationist Satnam Singh Sandhu. Under Article 80 (3) of the Constitution, out of the 245 members in the Rajya Sabha, 12 are nominated by the President on the recommendation of the government. According to the Article’s provisions, the nominated members should have special knowledge or practical experience in areas such as literature, science, art, and social service. Murty is both an author and a philanthropist. A nominated member, however, is allowed to join a political party within the first six months of taking a seat. Four of the current nominated members — Sinha, Mansingh, Jethmalani, and Ali — joined the BJP following their nomination. The door to join a political party after nomination remains open for Murty too for six months. The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution says, “A nominated member of a House shall be disqualified for being a member of the House if he joins any political party after the expiry of six months from the date on which he takes his seat after complying with the requirements of Article 99 or, as the case may be, Article 188.” Both Articles 99 and 188 deal with the provision of taking oath after being nominated. The nominated members have all had illustrious careers, receiving national and global recognition. At the same time, the nominations send a political signal too. A focus on representation from southern India, where the BJP is trying to expand its base, is also visible in recent nominations with as many as five members — Ilaiyaraaja, Heggade, Usha, Prasad and Murty — coming from the region. Barring Karnataka, the party has struggled to make electoral inroads in the region. While Ilaiyaraaja hails from Tamil Nadu and Usha from Kerala, Prasad is from Telangana, and Heggade and Murty are from Karnataka. Murty is also the third woman among the nominated members, with her inclusion coming on International Women’s Day. I am delighted that the President of India has nominated @SmtSudhaMurty Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji's contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring. Her presence in the Rajya Sabha is a powerful testament to… pic.twitter.com/lL2b0nVZ8F — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2024 Following Murty’s nomination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X, “I am delighted that the President of India has nominated Sudha Murty Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji’s contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring. Her presence in the Rajya Sabha is a powerful testament to our ‘Nari Shakti’, exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping our nation’s destiny. Wishing her a fruitful Parliamentary tenure.”
