By Our Reporter
The election for 19 National Assembly members is slated for January 25. The term of 20 NA members expires in March this year. One of the members will be nominated by the President.
The Election Commission has started establishing offices for election purposes in all capital cities of the seven provinces.
Provincial Assembly members chiefs and deputy chiefs of 753 local levels are the voters in the NA poll.
Obviously, the ruling parties are trying to prevent the UML from winning any of the 19 seats this time by forging an electoral alliance. However, they have not yet reached an agreement to share the seats among them. Moreover, when smaller parties with very few seats in the Provincial Assemblies and local levels are bargaining for more seats, they are reportedly unable to decide the seats. The ruling parties like the CPN (Unified Socialist) and even the Maoist Centre have won only a few seats at local levels as well as the Provincial Assemblies, but they are seeking equal seats of the NC in the eight seats earlier won by UML candidates. This has delayed reaching the agreement.
Moreover, there is a dispute within the NC as to who should be sent to the Upper House. When party president Sher Bahadur Deuba wants to make Krishna Sitaula who lost the House of Representatives election to Rajendra Lingden of RPP in Jhapa last year a candidate for the NA poll, a rival faction led by Shekhar Koirala wants Dr. Minendra Rijal who was denied ticket in the last year election in place of Sitaula. It was reported that Deuba wants to make Sitaula NA chair, but Koirala wants Dr. Rijal.
Likewise, more leaders than the available seats in NA in the Maoist Centre are lobbying to reach the Upper House. These types of disputes are likely to cause not only a delay in striking a deal but also cross-voting during the poll, which UML may have taken advantage of two years ago in Koshi.
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