The first session of the 14th Lok Sabha began on Wednesday morning with pro tem Speaker Somnath Chatterjee urging members to maintain the high traditions of the House and, thereby, strengthen roots of parliamentary democracy.

Soon after the House assembled and the national anthem was played, the members stood in silence for a while to mark the occasion.

Before announcing the panel of names to conduct the oath of affirmation to the MPs, Chatterjee congratulated the members on their election to the Lok Sabha.

The members of the panel are Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, Giridhar Gamang and Manvendra Shah.

The first member to take the oath was the Leader of the House and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, followed by National Democratic Alliance chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the chairwoman of the Congress parliamentary party, Sonia Gandhi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a member of the Rajya Sabha.

The members, after taking oath, went up to the podium to shake hands with the pro tem speaker and signed the register before occupying their seats.

Earlier, Lok Sabha secretary general G C Malhotra tabled the list of the members in Hindi and English.

The Leader of the House occupied the seat next to the PM while Sonia Gandhi sat in the first row of the treasury benches. Senior Congress member A B A Ghani Khan Choudhary sat next to her.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Kishenchand Advani occupied the seat of the Leader of the Opposition and Vajpayee sat next to him.

As soon as the PM entered the House a minute before it assembled, he went to Vajpayee and Advani and greeted them with folded hands and, thereafter, he exchanged pleasantries with all those sitting in the front rows before occupying his seat.

Members of the Congress and its allies were seen greeting Sonia Gandhi. Her son Rahul occupied the third row behind her.