New Delhi: Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday administered oath to two newly elected members of the Upper House of the Parliament -- former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, and BJP leader Ghulam Ali Khatana at his chamber in Parliament House.

Deb tweeted: “With the blessings of Mata Tripurasundari, honoured to take oath as a Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha. Gratitude to PM Narendra Modi, BJP President J.P. Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and senior leadership for giving me the opportunity to represent my state.”

“With everyone’s support and collective efforts, I will work earnestly for the welfare and development of Tripura,” he said in another tweet. Ghulam Ali Khatana, an engineer, is a Gujjar leader from Jammu and Kashmir.

Deb in the election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Tripura on September 22 defeated the CPI-M candidate and former Minister Bhanulal Saha by 28 votes. Dental surgeon-turned-politician Manik Saha, who became Chief Minister on May 15, and was elected to the Assembly in the June 23 by-elections, resigned from the Rajya Sabha on July 4, causing the vacancy.