Newly Elected House of Representatives Members Take Oath Amidst Buzz at Singha Durbar

Kathmandu. The usually quiet Singha Durbar area saw significant crowds two hours ahead of the scheduled oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected members of the House of Representatives today. There was natural interest and attraction as the newly elected members of the House of Representatives, the crucial institution exercising the sovereign power of the people, entered together.

The elected members from the House of Representatives election held on Falgun 21 were called by the Parliament Secretariat two hours in advance for the oath-taking ceremony today. Due to traffic jams and unfamiliarity with the location, some members were still entering just five minutes before the scheduled oath time of 2:00 PM.

Since the parliament, which ensures the management of crucial tasks like policy formulation and lawmaking in the country's governance system through established procedures, comprises mostly a new generation and new faces, interest among supporters, staff, and journalists was also high. The Nepal Police, along with parliamentary marshals, were extremely busy managing the crowds and traffic.

The House of Representatives is constitutionally the legislature, holding representatives directly elected by the people, based on the principle that no tax should be levied without the consent of the people's representatives. However, this important forum for implementing constitutional provisions is currently operating through a temporary structure.

The newly constructed multipurpose hall at Singha Durbar was used for the oath-taking ceremony because the International Convention Centre in New Baneshwor, where parliamentary sessions were previously held, was damaged during the Genji movement, and the new parliament building at Singha Durbar is not yet complete. Senior-most member of the House of Representatives, Arjun Narsingh KC, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the members in that very hall.

Padam Prasad Pandey, Secretary-General of the Federal Parliament Secretariat, stated that the special hall was arranged because the old building was damaged and the new building was not fully ready. According to him, parliamentary meetings will continue in that hall until the new building is handed over to the Secretariat. Since the premises and parking of the new parliament building are under construction, the parking and other arrangements appeared chaotic.

Due to a lack of clarity on which gate to use to enter the hall, senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Balen Shah, and the coordinator of the CPN (Maoist Centre), Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', got out of their vehicles and initially headed towards a closed gate.

They became further confused because they were surrounded by journalists and security personnel. Leader Shah, who drove himself, left earlier than others after the oath. The style of questioning by journalists and answering by leaders was interesting, as some leaders who were previously Prime Ministers were not in the house this time.

Journalists faced inconvenience in giving reactions and taking pictures in the dusty premises of the Singha Durbar parliament building, as an organized structure like the one at the International Convention Centre in New Baneshwor had not yet been established.

Due to space constraints in the hall, only a limited number of camera persons from national media outlets were allowed entry to the oath-taking venue. Since the gallery was also not ready, the proceedings of the event were shown on a large screen placed on the first floor of the parliament building.

The Parliament Secretariat had requested the members to be present two hours before the stipulated time, along with the certificate of election to the House of Representatives membership received from the Election Commission, a copy of their Nepali citizenship certificate, and two copies of a recent passport-sized photograph.

After the oath, the members were provided with the emblem (logo) and badge. Members attending the oath also brought their family members. RSP MP Pukar Bom brought his child along.

MP Rahbar Ansari of the same party became a subject of curiosity by arriving in a school uniform. Members were dressed in their traditional attire and dignified clothing, representing various castes, ethnicities, and cultures. MPs with disabilities arrived in wheelchairs.

The provision for taking the oath of office and secrecy is based on Article 99 and Article 91 (5) of the Constitution of Nepal and Section 75 of the House of Representatives Election Act, 2074.