Bhubaneswar, Feb 7: Dr. Sasmit Patra, a lawmaker representing the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the Rajya Sabha, and Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament from the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, were honored as the best parliamentarians at the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards 2023 held on Tuesday.
In addition to Tharoor and Patra, six other legislators from both houses of Parliament were recognized across various categories for their significant contributions.
Danish Ali, a member of the Lok Sabha representing the Bahujan Samaj Party, and John Brittas, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), were awarded as the best debutant parliamentarians of the year. Meanwhile, Ram Gopal Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Samajwadi Party, and Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, a Lok Sabha MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were honored with lifetime achievement awards.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a lawmaker from the Lok Sabha belonging to the Shiromani Akali Dal, and Saroj Pandey, a Rajya Sabha MP from the BJP, were recognized as the best woman parliamentarians in their respective houses.
The Lokmat Parliamentary Awards, which honor outstanding parliamentarians with four recipients from each house annually, marked its fifth edition this year. The winners were selected by a jury chaired by Subhas Kashyap, former secretary-general of the Lok Sabha.
The award ceremony, graced by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari as the chief guest, was also attended by Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale.
