Jaitley, Maya, Chiranjeevi take oath in Rajya Sabha

Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Rajeev Shukla, and Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and actor Jaya Bachchan were among the 50 new members who took oath in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Jaitley, who was re-elected to the Upper House from Gujarat, was the first to be called to take oath. After taking oath in Hindi, he greeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chairman Hamid Ansari.

Ansari congratulated Jaitley and remarked "welcome back."

Mayawati, who got elected to the Upper House after her party suffered defeat in Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, solemnly affirmed in Hindi that she would bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution.

Even before the House met for the day, she was greeted by leaders cutting across political lines. After taking oath, she walked up to the Prime Minister, who stood up to acknowledge her greetings with folded hands.

Deshmukh, who along with fellow partyman Rajeev Shukla was elected from Maharasthra, took oath in Marathi.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Shukla took oath in Hindi.

Former Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan (Cong) took oath in the name of Almighty in English and was was greeted with loud thumping of desks by members. Ansari welcomed Khan saying "Rahman Saheb, Mubarak Ho".

After the oath, Khan, who was re-elected for the fourth consecutive time from Karnataka, walked up to the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition and greeted them.

Former Union minister Renuka Chaudhary (Cong), who greeted members before the House assembled, took oath in Hindi.