New Delhi, July 18: The Monsoon session of the Lok Sabha began on Monday with obituary references and new members taking oath, and was then adjourned till 2 pm so members could vote in the presidential poll.

As the House met for the first time in the Monsoon session of Parliament, three MPs, including veteran Bollywood actor and Trinamool Congress' Shatrughan Sinha, took oath as member of the Lok Sabha.

Speaker Om Birla then read out obituary references to three foreign leaders, including former Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe, and eight former members who passed away recently. Birla said elections in India are celebrated as a festival. And since the election to the president was underway, it should also be celebrated, he said. Presidential Elections 2022 Live Updates: Voting Begins For Yashwant Sinha vs Droupadi Murmu Contest.

Members should participate in the festival, the speaker said, and declared the House adjourned till 2 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi were among those present in the House.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)