Shimla, June 12 (Reporter) Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday administered the oath of office to six newly elected legislators at a special ceremony here in the Vidhan Sabha. The swearing-in function was held in the library room of the Assembly House at 11 am when BJP's Sudhir Sharma from Dharamshala, and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal from Badsar, and Congress' Anuradha Rana from Lahaul and Spiti, Captain Ranjit Singh from Sujanpur, Rakesh Kalia from Gagret, and Vivek Sharma from Kutlahar took oath. The event was attended by prominent figures including Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar, and various other ministers besides Parliamentary Secretaries, top ranking IAS and IPS officers. The proceedings were conducted by Legislative Assembly Secretary Yashpal Sharma after receiving permission from the Speaker. The six positions fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLAs who defied the party whip during the Budget Session. These disqualified members joined the BJP and contested the elections, but only Sudhir Sharma and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal succeeded. The ceremony also marked an increase in the number of women MLAs in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly to two, with Anuradha Rana joining Reena Kashyap (BJP MLA from Pachhad). Currently, three assembly seats remain vacant, with upcoming by-elections announced by the Election Commission of India for the Dhera in Kangra, Hamirpur, and Nalagarh in Solan districts on July 10. The Congress now holds 38 seats in the 68-member house, while the BJP holds 27 seats...////...