Ruling alliance’s NA seat-division deal: Which party gets how many seats?

KATHMANDU, Jan 3: A meeting of the ruling alliance has finalized party wise shares for 19 vacant seats of National Assembly (NA).

The meeting, attended by the major leaders of the coalition parties, was held at the Prime Minister’s Office Resident at Baluwatar, Kathmandu.

According to CPN (Unified Socialist) General Secretary, Dr Beduram Bhusal, six seats have been allocated for the Nepali Congress (NC) and five each for CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN (US).

While the Janata Samajbadi Party has been allotted two seats for the upper house, another coalition partner Rastriya Janamorcha will get a seat. 

The alliance is preparing to contest the NA elections jointly. The elections are scheduled to be held on January 26.

Tenure of twenty members of the 59-member National Assembly (NA) is due to expire on March 4, next year. 

As per Article 86 of the Constitution of Nepal, NA members shall remain in position for six years. The term of office of one-third of the members of the National Assembly expires every two years.

The tenure of the first batch of NA members was fixed through a lucky draw following the 2017 polls. Following the commencement of the constitution, arrangements were made by drawing lots to retire one-third of the members on the expiry of two years, another one-third on the expiry of four years and the final one-third on the expiry of six years.  

Of the 20 members whose tenure is expiring March 2022, eight belong to the main opposition CPN-UML, five to the ruling CPN (Maoist Center) and four to the ruling CPN (Unified Socialist). Similarly, three Nepali Congress (NC) will also retire as NA members. 

UML lawmakers including Nainkala Ojha, Parshuram Meghi Gurung, Agam Prasad Bantawa, Chakra Prasad Snehi, Sumar Raj Pyakurel, Komal Oli, Ram Lakhan Chamar and Kabita Bogati. 

Similarly, Shashikala Dahal (NA Vice-chairperson), Khim Kumar BK, Dina Nath Sharma (party leader in House), Jivan Budha and Ram Narayan Bidari (Nominated) of the CPN (Maoist Center) will have their four-year tenure expired in March. 

Four members --- Udaya Sharma Poudel, Shanti Kumari Adhikari, Sher Bahadur Kunwar adn Khagendra Prakash Puri --- belonging to the newly formed CPN (Unified Socialist) will also retire as the NA members. 

The tenure of three Nepali Congress lawmakers --- Radheshyam Adhikari (party leader), Drigh Narayan Pandey and Taradevi Bhatta --- is also expiring. 

As many as 19 lawmakers, whose term was determined for two years--- retired as the upper House member in 2019. They were replaced by 19 other members who were elected for a six-year term. 

As many as 56 members of the National Assembly are elected from seven provinces [eight from each] consisting of at least three women, one Dalit and one from persons with disabilities or minorities. An electoral college composed of members of the provincial assemblies, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the rural municipalities, and mayors and deputy-mayors of the municipalities elect the NA members. 

The other three members including at least one woman are nominated by the president on the recommendation of the government.