Dr Veerendra Heggade to take oath as Rajya Sabha member today

Mangaluru: Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade will take oath as Rajya Sabha MP later in the day on Thursday, July 21.

73-year-old, Heggade, is the hereditary trustee of the famous Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy temple in Dakshina Kannada district. He is the 21st in his line to hold the position which has been passed on from father to son in his family. Heggade belongs to the Digambara Jain.

Heggade was nominated to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month. His nomination came alongside that of three other eminent personalities — ace music composer Ilayaraja, Olympic athlete PT Usha and screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad.

His nomination filled the void the coastal region of Karnataka has had in the Upper House. After the demise of senior Congress leader and former Union minister Oscar Fernandes on September 13, 2021, the coastal region did not have any representation in the Rajya Sabha.

Dr Heggade is the recipient of the second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan, which was bestowed on him in 2015 for his philanthropic and charitable works to uplift the masses.

(With inputs from agencies)