Four NC leaders make claim for National Assembly chair

KATHMANDU: Four leaders of the Nepali Congress (NC) have expressed their interest in the position of chairperson of the National Assembly.

The term of 20 National Assembly members, including Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, is expiring on March 4. The Election Commission is holding elections to fill these vacant positions on January 25.

NC leaders Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Gopal Man Shrestha, Farmulla Mansoor, and Ananda Prasad Dhungana are vying for the prestigious post. As these leaders are not currently members of the National Assembly, they must first win in the upcoming elections.

Sitaula, a former general secretary of the party, previously led a faction of the party. But he is not currently active in party politics. Situal faced defeat in the House of Representatives election held in November last year in the Jhapa-3 constituency. He lost to Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairman Rajendra Lingden.

Similarly, Shrestha, a long-time confidant of NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, served as the officiating president of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) when Deuba was arrested during former King Gyanendra Shah’s rule.

An NC leader mentioned that Deuba is considering making Sitaula the chairman of the upper house to maintain balance within the party. “Deuba believes that factionalism in the NC will weaken further if Sitaula is appointed as the National Assembly chairperson,” the insider said.

However, many NC leaders are opposed to supporting Sitaula for the post. Dr. Shekhar Koirala, leader of the anti-establishment faction of the party, supports Mansoor. Mansoor, a member of the Muslim community, serves as the joint general secretary of the party and has consistently participated in elections since the 1990s.

Dhungana is another senior leader expressing staking his claim to the post. Both Shrestha and Dhungana did not contest the 2022 election. They, however, were included in the closed list for proportional representation.

The terms of eight assembly members of CPN-UML, four of Nepali Congress (NC), three of CPN (Maoist Center), two of CPN (Unified Socialist), one of Janata Samajbadi Party, and one independent, and one nominated by the President are expiring.

Among these assembly members, four are from Bagmati Province, three each from Gandaki, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim provinces, and two each from Koshi, Lumbini, and Madhesh provinces. Additionally, the term of Bimala Poudyal Rai, nominated by the President, is also expiring on the same day.

The National Assembly consists of 59 members, with eight members elected from each of the seven provinces and three appointed by the President. Members are elected by an electoral college comprising the mayor/chairperson and deputy mayor/vice-chairperson of municipal bodies across the country.