KATHMANDU: Following the National Assembly election results on Sunday, the Nepali Congress has become the largest party in the upper house of Parliament.
Out of 19 vacant seats, Congress secured 9, winning half of the 18 seats contested. This brings Congress’s total in the National Assembly to 25 members, surpassing other parties.
Prior to the election, Congress held 16 seats. From March 4 onward, the party will officially assume the position of the largest party, with the CPN-UML now becoming the third-largest party.
The electoral success came through a strategic alliance with CPN-UML and the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSPN). Congress’s decision to form the alliance was initially taken by party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and executed by National Assembly Chairman Gagan Thapa.
The elected Congress members represent all seven provinces: Koshi (3), Madhesh (4), Bagmati (2), Gandaki (2), Lumbini (3), Karnali (2), and Sudurpashchim (2). In Koshi, Sunil Bahadur Thapa of Congress was elected unopposed as the CPN candidate did not arrive on time. The remaining 17 seats were contested, with Congress winning 9, UML 8, and JSPN 1.
With this result, the Nepali Communist Party now holds 18 seats, falling to second place, while UML comes third with 11 seats. JSPN retains 3 seats, and Rastriya Janamorcha holds 1 seat. One seat remains vacant due to the death of member Baldev Bohara, and the President will nominate another member on the cabinet’s recommendation. Three more members will also be nominated by the President.
According to the law, the National Assembly has 59 members, with a six-year term in a staggered system. Provincial assembly members, as well as chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of municipalities and rural municipalities, vote in the National Assembly elections. In total, 550 provincial assembly members and 1,506 local-level voters, including 753 local leaders, participated in the election across the seven provinces.
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