National Assembly election candidacy filing commences today

KATHMANDU: Today marks the initiation of candidacy filing for the upcoming National Assembly member election, which is set to take place on January 25. The 19 vacant posts will be contested, and the nomination papers must be registered at the respective Office of Returning Officer in all seven provinces from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Shaligram Sharma Poudel, the spokesperson of the Election Commission, has confirmed that all necessary preparations and responsibilities ahead of the nomination registration have been completed. The eligible voters for the NA member election include province assembly members, chairpersons, vice chairpersons of rural municipalities, mayors, and deputy mayors of municipalities.

According to legal provisions, a total of 549 province assembly members and 2047 local-level leaders (mayor/chair and deputy mayor/vice-chairperson) are enlisted in the voters' roll. The vote weight for provincial assembly members is fixed at 53, while that for chiefs and deputy chiefs of municipalities/rural municipalities is set at 19. The total vote weight for provincial assembly members is 29,097, and for chiefs and deputy chiefs, it is 28,462.

The Election Commission has already published the final list of voters on Sunday. The nomination list is scheduled for publication on January 9, while the final list of candidates will be released on January 12 after completing the protest and complaint process against candidates and investigations.

On January 13, election symbols will be assigned to the candidates. Each province will have one polling station and two polling centers for the election, with voting scheduled from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on January 25.

The National Assembly consists of 59 members, and the term of one-third of the members is completed every two years. This election will see the representation of women, Dalits, persons with disabilities or minorities, and members from various communities elected from different provinces and regions.