KATHMANDU: The newly elected Chairman of the National Assembly, Narayan Prasad Dahal, officially assumed office by taking the oath of office and secrecy on Tuesday.

President Ramchandra Poudel administered the oath during a ceremony held at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas, Kathmandu today.

The election for the National Assembly Chair occurred on Tuesday in the new Federal Parliament building in Baneshwor, where Dahal emerged victorious.

Following the oath-taking, Chairman Dahal paid a visit to the Martyrs’ Memorial in Lainchaur to pay his respects.

Narayan Dahal, representing the CPN-Maoist Center, secured the position by defeating the Nepali Congress candidate, Yubaraj Sharma.

The proposal endorsing Dahal as the National Assembly Chair received 39 votes in favor and 17 against, with a total of 56 members present during Tuesday’s National Assembly meeting.

Dahal garnered support from the Maoist Center, CPN-UML, CPN-Unified Socialist, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Janata Samajwadi parties.

On the other hand, the opposition alliance, including the Loktantrik Samajbadi party, supported the candidacy of Yubaraj Sharma.

Notably, an earlier proposal to elect Sharma as the National Assembly Chair was rejected with 17 votes in favor and 39 against during the meeting.