Coalition Concludes Seat Allocation, Madhav Nepal Voices Disapproval

In a crucial meeting held on Sunday at Baluwatar, the ruling coalition solidified the distribution of seats for the upcoming National Assembly election. The consensus reached among the coalition parties outlines that the Nepali Congress will secure 10 seats, CPN (Maoist Center) six seats, CPN (Unified Socialist) two seats, and the Janata Samajbadi Party will be allocated one seat.

Following the meeting, Ramesh Lekhak, Chief Whip of the Nepali Congress, announced that the seat-sharing arrangements have been conclusively determined among the ruling coalition parties. Lekhak further mentioned that while the allocation has been finalized in many areas, there are a few remaining locations where the decisions will be made shortly.

With the seat distribution settled, the parties are now gearing up to finalize the selection of candidates through internal discussions. However, internal tensions have arisen as sources reveal that CPN (US) Chairman Nepal pushed for three seats for his party. Despite this, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba stood firm, asserting that only two seats could be allocated to CPN (US).

Although Chief Whip Lekhak stated that an agreement had been reached, reports suggest that leaders of the CPN (US) are discontent with the final seat distribution. This disagreement adds a layer of complexity to the coalition dynamics in the lead-up to the National Assembly election.

Nomination filings for the election are scheduled to take place on Monday, with the final list of voters being published today. The National Assembly election, featuring 19 contested seats, is slated for January 25. The political landscape remains charged as the coalition grapples with internal differences while preparing for the impending electoral battle.