Abdullah, Kunhalikutty take oath as Lok Sabha members

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Indian Union Muslim League leader P.K. Kunhalikutty on Monday took oath as members of the Lok Sabha.

Soon after the house met, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan called Abdullah, who took oath in Kashmiri. Later, he was greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders.

Abdullah won the by-poll from the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary constituency, defeating his Peoples Democratic Party rival Nazir Ahmed Khan by over 10,000 votes.

Abdullah had lost in 2014 to the then PDP candidate Tariq Karra, who is now with the Congress.

The Srinagar seat fell vacant after Karra resigned from the PDP.

Kunhalikutty, who took oath in English, won the Malappuram by-poll in Kerala. He defeated Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate and youth leader M.B. Faisal.

The re-poll was necessitated by the death of sitting MP and Indian Union Muslim League leader E. Ahamed.