52 representatives elected thru by-elections to have independent status

KATHMANDU: Election Commission (EC) has said the status of 52 representatives elected in the by-elections held last year will remain independent.

Similarly, the status of the representatives directly elected by the people will remain as it is and will not lose their memberships even if they join any other parties.

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya said the EC is making proper arrangements to this effect.

However, the legal status of the representatives of the Nepal Communist Party elected in the by-elections is still uncertain when it comes to the party they belong to – CPN-UML or CPN (Maoist Center).

Former Acting Chief Commissioner Dolakh Bahadur Gurung said the representatives elected through the by-elections will have an independent status as per the provision laid down in the Political Party Act, 2017.

A total of 16 lawmakers had been elected to the National Assembly, said Gurung, arguing that these lawmakers will be independent and will not lose their memberships even if they join the other political parties.

Meanwhile, the possibility of unification between CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) still exists if KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal jointly file an application seeking for party unification. But in this case, they will have to register a new party.