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Nepali Congress leader Sunil Thapa has been elected as NA member unopposed from Koshi Province.

Kathmandu, Jan 8:  Candidates have filed nominations for 18 of the 19 National Assembly seats falling vacant. One seat will be filled through presidential nomination on the government’s recommendation.

According to Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, 44 candidates have filed nominations for the 18 contested seats. As per the election schedule, complaints against candidates can be filed on January 8. Scrutiny of nominations and complaints will take place on January 9 and 10, followed by publication of the candidate list. Candidates may withdraw on January 11, and the final list will be published the same day. Election symbols will be allotted on January 12.

In Koshi Province, Sunil Bahadur Thapa has already been elected unopposed. Elections for the remaining 17 seats will be held on January 25, 2026.

The National Assembly election has brought an electoral alliance between the Nepali Congress and the CPN UML. The Nepal Communist Party is contesting on its own. In Madhesh Province, the Janata Samajbadi Party has fielded candidates for three seats, while supporting Loktantrik Samajbadi Party chair Mahanta Thakur for one seat.

These four parties remain the main players in the election. Congress and UML, the two largest parties, have joined hands, drawing attention to the political signal behind the tie up.

Explaining the alliance, Congress central office chief secretary Krishna Prasad Paudel said efforts were made to include other forces involved in constitution making, including Prachanda’s group, but talks did not succeed. He said the current alliance also includes Madhesh based parties, pointing to Congress support for LSP candidate Mahanta Thakur. However, JSP Nepal has chosen to contest independently.

Leaders from both Congress and UML have avoided giving a clear answer on whether this cooperation points to a future alliance in the House of Representatives election. UML deputy general secretary Lekhraj Bhatta said working with Congress keeps options open, citing past cooperation and trust between senior leaders.

The alliance has weakened the position of the Nepal Communist Party. At present, the NCP is the largest party in the National Assembly with 25 seats. Of the 19 members retiring, eight belong to the NCP. After the January 25 election, its strength is expected to drop to 17. With Congress and UML holding a combined majority across provinces, the NCP has limited chance of adding seats, even though voting is secret.

If results go as expected, Congress is likely to emerge as the largest party in the National Assembly after March 4, 2026, followed by the NCP and then UML.

People’s News Monitoring Service