On July 12, 2025, President Droupadi Murmu nominated four individuals to the Rajya Sabha to fill vacancies left by retiring members, as announced by the Union Home Ministry. The nominees—Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Ujjwal Nikam, C. Sadanandan Master, and Meenakshi Jain—represent expertise in diplomacy, law, social work, and history. The nominations were made under Article 80 of the Constitution.

Below is a detailed introduction to each nominee, outlining their professional background and contributions based on available sources.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, born in 1962, is a 1984-batch Indian Foreign Service officer who served as Foreign Secretary from January 2020 to April 2022. He was Ambassador to the United States (2019–2020), Thailand, and Bangladesh, and High Commissioner to Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shringla coordinated India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 and was involved in the “Howdy Modi” event in Texas in 2019. Hailing from Darjeeling, he is fluent in Nepalese and was considered for the 2024 Lok Sabha election from West Bengal but did not contest. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

Ujjwal Nikam

Ujjwal Nikam, born in 1953, is a public prosecutor known for securing the conviction and death penalty of Ajmal Kasab in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case. He prosecuted over 600 cases, including the 1993 Bombay blasts and the murder of Pramod Mahajan. Nikam joined the BJP in 2024, contested the Lok Sabha election from Mumbai North Central, and lost to Congress’s Varsha Gaikwad. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2016, he has faced criticism from opposition parties like Shiv Sena (UBT) for his BJP affiliation. He is from Jalgaon, Maharashtra.

C. Sadanandan Master

C. Sadanandan Master, a former schoolteacher from Kerala’s Kannur district, is a BJP leader and social worker. In 1994, he lost both legs in an attack allegedly by CPI(M) workers while an RSS activist. He contested the 2016 Kerala Assembly election from Koothuparamba, finishing third. Associated with the Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, a right-wing think tank, he has worked in education and community development for over four decades. His nomination aligns with BJP’s efforts to strengthen its presence in Kerala.

Meenakshi Jain

Meenakshi Jain, born in 1953, is a historian and former Associate Professor at Gargi College, Delhi University. She authored books like Rama and Ayodhya (2013), Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples (2019), and Vishwanath Rises and Rises: The Story of Eternal Kashi (2024), focusing on Indian history and civilization. A fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, she was nominated to the Indian Council of Historical Research in 2014 and received the Padma Shri in 2020. She is the daughter of former Times of India editor Girilal Jain.

The nominations, announced on July 12, 2025, aim to bring diverse expertise to the Rajya Sabha. (Rh/Eth/RS)