Newly Elected National Assembly Members Take Oath of Office in Nepal

Kathmandu. Newly elected members of the National Assembly have taken their oath of office. Chairman of the National Assembly, Narayan Prasad Dahal, administered the oath to the elected members on Monday. Eighteen members were elected in the National Assembly elections held on Magh 11. In the 59-member National Assembly, elections are held every two years for one-third of the seats.

In accordance with this arrangement, the term of 19 members ended on Falgun 20. Elections were held on Magh 11 for 18 of these 19 members. One member will be nominated by the President upon the recommendation of the government.

Nine members from the Nepali Congress, eight from CPN-UML, and one member from the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP) were elected to the National Assembly.

Who are the National Assembly Members?

Mahantha Thakur

Mahantha Thakur, Chairman of the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP), was elected as a National Assembly member from Madhes Province. He has served multiple times as a member of the House of Representatives. Thakur, who started his political career with the Nepali Congress, also served as the treasurer of the Congress. However, he left Congress during the Madhes Movement of 2062/63 BS and joined Madhes-centric politics.

Thakur was elected Deputy Speaker in 2048 BS after winning the election from Sarlahi Constituency No. 5 on a Congress ticket. He was a candidate in 2051, 2064, 2070, 2074, and 2079 BS. He was defeated in the 2064 and 2070 BS elections.

Sunil Bahadur Thapa

Sunil Bahadur Thapa, who was unanimously elected as a National Assembly member from Koshi Province, was a political advisor to President Ramchandra Paudel before becoming a National Assembly member. Thapa was elected unopposed after the CPN candidate Hemraj Ghimire failed to appear at the Election Officer's office on time to register his candidacy.

Thapa, who started his political career with the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, is currently in the Nepali Congress. Thapa has previously served as a Constituent Assembly member and a Minister. After being directly elected as a Constituent Assembly member from Dhankuta Constituency No.-2 in 2070 BS, he became the Minister of Commerce and Supplies in Sher Bahadur Deuba's cabinet in Jestha 2074 BS.

He was defeated in the House of Representatives elections in 2074 and 2079 BS. Thapa is the son of former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa. 

Ram Kumari Jhankri

Ram Kumari Jhankri, elected as a National Assembly member from Lumbini Province, is a former member of the House of Representatives and a former Minister. CPN-UML made Jhankri a proportional representative in 2074 BS. Later, when UML split, she joined the CPN (Unified Socialist) led by Madhav Kumar.

She also served as the Minister for Urban Development in the government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. In the 2079 House of Representatives election, she contested directly on a Unified Socialist ticket but was defeated. Jhankri, who returned to UML expressing disagreement with the unification of parties including CPN (Maoist Centre) and Unified Socialist, was nominated by UML as a candidate for the National Assembly. She is currently a central member of UML. 

Jhankri is also a former president of ANISU, a sister organization of UML.

Lalit Jung Shahi Lalit Jung Shahi, elected from Karnali Province on behalf of the Nepali Congress, has served as a Constituent Assembly member. He was elected from Jumla in the second Constituent Assembly election of 2070 BS.

Although he was defeated in the Provincial Assembly elections in 2079 BS, the Nepali Congress made him a National Assembly member. Shahi is also the President of the Nepali Congress Karnali Province Committee. Shahi contested as an independent candidate in 2051 and 2056 BS after the Congress did not give him a ticket, and he won the election as a candidate for the Nepali Congress in the 2070 BS election. 

Roshani Meche

Roshani Meche has been made a National Assembly member from Koshi Province by CPN-UML. She belongs to the marginalized Meche community. Roshani worked in the secretariat of the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. 

Meche holds a Master's degree in Sociology and a Bachelor's degree in Law.

Dharmendra Paswan

Dharmendra Paswan, elected as a National Assembly member from Madhes Province, is a Dalit rights activist. The Nepali Congress made him a National Assembly member. Paswan, a resident of Rautahat, who has served as the General Secretary of the Nepal Dalit Sangh, a sister organization of the Congress, has studied up to a Master's degree in Political Science. 

Ranjit Karna

Ranjit Karna, elected as a National Assembly member from Madhes Province, is a former central president of the Nepal Student Union (NSU). He also served as a Constituent Assembly member in 2070 BS. Karna, an active leader in Congress since his student days, is also an engineer.

Rekha Jha

Rekha Jha has been made a National Assembly member from Madhes Province by CPN-UML. Jha, a member of CPN-UML's Madhes Province Committee, was placed on UML's proportional list twice. Jha, who failed to become a parliamentarian through proportionality, succeeded in becoming a National Assembly member.

Jha holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Social Sciences. In the past, she has been associated with the Human Rights Alliance and has worked in favor of rights and justice.

Som Portel

Som Portel, elected as a National Assembly member from Koshi Province under the Literati cluster, has experience serving as the Chairman of the District Coordination Committee. Portel began his political journey from the ward committee of CPN-UML. Born in Falgun 2035 BS, Portel also has experience in local governance and development construction. 

He was the Chief of the Jhapa District Coordination Committee from 2074 to 2079 BS. 

Dr. Prem Dangal

Dr. Prem Dangal, elected as a National Assembly member from Bagmati Province, is a central member of UML. He holds a Ph.D. from Tribhuvan University on the topic of 'Rural Economy and Food Sovereignty'. He has long been active in the All Nepal Peasants' Federation and is currently its central chairman. 

Gita Devkota

Gita Devkota has been made a National Assembly member from Bagmati Province by the Nepali Congress. Devkota, who entered active politics through the Nepal Student Union in 2044 BS, became a central member in the 14th General Convention of the Nepali Congress. She is also the Vice President of the Bee Keepers Farmers Federation.

Jagat Timilsina

Jagat Timilsina, who teaches in the Management Department at Tribhuvan University, has been made a National Assembly member from Gandaki Province by the Nepali Congress. 

He has also been the president of the Congress-supported Democratic Professors Association since 2073 BS.

Samjhana Devkota

Samjhana Devkota of UML, who faced defeat in the last three elections, has become a National Assembly member from Gandaki Province. Previously, she was a candidate for Deputy Mayor from Gorkha Municipality in the 2074 local level elections and for Mayor in the same municipality in the 2079 elections.

However, she was defeated in both elections. In the National Assembly elections held in Magh 2080 BS, UML had nominated Devkota as a candidate, but she could not win that time either. However, the alliance between Congress and UML in 2082 BS made it easier for her to win the election. 

Mina Rakhal

Mina Rakhal, elected as a National Assembly member from Karnali Province, is a leader of UML. Rakhal from Dailekh was a proportional member of the Karnali Provincial Assembly in 2074 BS. 

Chandra Bahadur KC

Chandra Bahadur KC, a National Assembly member from Lumbini Province, is a permanent resident of Bhad Gaun, Resunga Municipality-3, Gulmi District. Chandra KC became prominent in Gulmi politics after the rise of the multi-party system. He was a candidate for the House of Representatives election from the then Gulmi Constituency No. 2 in 2056 BS and from the current Constituency No. 2 in 2074 BS. 

However, he was defeated. KC served as the Chairman of the District Development Committee, Gulmi in 2049 BS and as the President of the Nepali Congress Gulmi in 2067 BS. He started his political career with the Nepal Student Union in 2029 BS. 

Basudev Jangali

Basudev Jangali, elected as a National Assembly member from Lumbini Province, is an old leader of the Nepali Congress. 

Jangali from Dang district was made a National Assembly member by the Nepali Congress under the disability quota. 

Kham Bahadur Khati

Kham Bahadur Khati, who became a National Assembly member from Sudurpashchim Province, is a former Secretary General of the Nepal Bar Association and a former Attorney General. He served as the Attorney General when former Nepali Congress party president Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister. 

Khati, who is also a senior advocate, has been actively practicing law since 2048 BS. He served as the leader of the Kathmandu District Bar Association and as the General Secretary of the Nepal Bar Association in 2072 BS. He contested in the local level elections of 2053 BS. 

Leela Kumari Bhandari

Leela Bhandari has become a National Assembly member from Sudurpashchim Province. She was directly elected as a Constituent Assembly member from Kailali Constituency No. 6 in the first Constituent Assembly election of 2064 BS. However, she was defeated in 2070 BS. 

The Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and Loktantrik Samajwadi Party formed an alliance for the National Assembly elections, while the CPN participated alone. Those who contested under the alliance were victorious in the election. 

Provincial Assembly members and heads/officials of local levels are the voters in the National Assembly elections. The term of the newly elected National Assembly members has begun from Falgun 21.