Kathmandu, March 18

With the election of CPN-Maoist Centre lawmaker Shashikala Dahal as deputy chairperson of the National Assembly today, Upper and Lower Houses of the Federal Parliament have got full shape with all posts filled.

Dahal, who secured 45 votes, beat her only rival to the post, Nepali Congress lawmaker Binda Devi Ale (Rana), by 36 votes.

Dahal was sworn in as deputy chairperson of the NA by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

NC lawmakers Mukta Yadav and Durga Upadhyay were absent during the election, while NA Chair Ganesh Timilsina did not cast his vote.

Timilsina later announced Dahal’s victory.

Earlier, CPN-MC lawmaker Dinanath Sharma proposed Dahal’s name and NC lawmaker Badri Prasad Pandey proposed Ale’s name for the post of deputy chairperson of NA.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari was re-elected as the president by an electoral college comprising members of the Federal Parliament and provincial assemblies. Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun, Speaker of House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara and NA Chairperson Timilsina were elected unopposed. Members of HoR were elected by the people and members of NA were elected by chiefs and deputy chiefs of local levels, provincial assemblies and HoR.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli passed the floor test with a thumping majority. Seven chief ministers have also passed the floor test in the respective provincial assemblies.

Speakers and deputy speakers of the seven provincial assemblies have already assumed office, while chiefs and deputy chiefs of the 753 local bodies were elected by the people of their respective rural and urban municipalities.

Local elections were held in Nepal in three phases on May 14, June 28 and September 18 in six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities in 2017. The provincial and parliamentary elections were held in November 26 and December 7 across the country.

Elections were part of implementation of the 2015 constitution. The Madhes-based Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal have been demanding amendment to the constitution.

FSF-N lawmaker Rampreet Paswan demanded amendment to the constitution while speaking in the NA. He told the NA, “The name of the constitution should be Federal Democratic Nepal instead of Constitution of Nepal-2015. There is no alternative to constitution amendment.” According to him, the constitution should unite people of every corner of the country.