Kathmandu, March 4

Newly-elected members of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly today took the oath of office and secrecy from the senior-most members of both houses.

Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal’s Coordinator Mahantha Thakur administered the oath of office and secrecy to lawmakers of the HoR. RJP-N member Mahendra Raya Yadav, who is the senior-most member of HoR as per his citizenship records, did not attend the swearing-in ceremony.

According to Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal lawmaker Rajendra Shrestha, Prime Minister Oli and CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to let Thakur administer the oath of office and secrecy to lawmakers at the request of FSF-N.

UML leaders urged Yadav to skip the swearing-in ceremony and he did the same. “In the swearing-in ceremony, lawmakers swear to uphold the truth, but Yadav himself says that he is not the senior-most member,” Shrestha said. Yadav told them that he wanted to correct his date of birth in the citizenship certificate, but the government staff at District Administration Office did not do so.

Earlier this afternoon, Thakur himself took the oath of office and secrecy from President Bidhya Devi Bhandari at Shital Niwas.

Out of 275 lawmakers in the HoR, only 271 were present during the swearing-in-ceremony, according to the Parliament Secretariat. The secretariat stated that RJP-N lawmakers Resham Chaudhary and Mahendra Raya Yadav and CPN-Maoist Centre lawmakers Dharmashila Chapagain and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi were absent in today’s swearing-in ceremony.

Chaudhary, who was indicted as the main conspirator in Tikapur carnage, is in judicial custody.

CPN-UML lawmaker Nawaraj Silwal, who is on the most-wanted list of the police, also took the oath of office and secrecy. He went to the Parliament building in former PM Madhav Kumar Nepal’s vehicle.

Nepali Congress member Tara Devi Bhatta, who is senior-most member of the NA, administered the oath of office and secrecy to NA lawmakers at 5:00pm. Out of 56 members in the NA, 55 were present in the swearing-in ceremony. NA member Ramesh Prasad Yadav was absent in today’s swearing-in ceremony, according to the Parliament Secretariat. Parliament Secretariat Spokesperson Bharat Gautam said absent lawmakers would be able to take part in the HoR business only after being sworn in.

“House meeting will start officially tomorrow,” said Gautam. He added that the letter issued by the president calling House session would be read aloud in tomorrow’s House meeting.

Likewise, lawmakers will be informed about formation of the government and expansion of the Cabinet.

According to Gautam, tomorrow’s House meeting will fix dates to elect the speaker, deputy speaker and chair and deputy chair of the NA. The meeting will also pass internal procedure for the House business. He said senior leaders of the national parties could address the first meeting of the House, but the schedule had not been finalised yet.

Lawmakers took the oath of office and secrecy in 11 languages, including Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tamang, Tharu, Nepal Bhasha, Bajjika, Sherpa, Hindi, Magar and Nepali.

Lawmakers had reached the Parliament building wearing traditional attires of their respective communities.