Kathmandu, January 13:

A Maoist leader today showed dissatisfaction over the way in which the 48 seats for the interim legislature, to be formed soon, were distributed.

“Earlier, when we have discussed about expanding the parliament, we have talked about adding some non-political persons. But, see, it did not happen. This has disappointed us,” said Maoist leader Dina Nath Sharma. Sharma was speaking at a programme at Reporters’ Club.

He said that besides giving seats to all political parties, the Maoists and the seven-party alliance had agreed to give 48 seats to neutral, intellectual and professional people whom the people can accept regardless of their party inclinations, or those who took active participation in the Jana Andolan II.

“But it eventually turned out to be extra seats for the parties and they even fought among themselves to get their candidates nominated for this quota too. “Thus the seven-party and the Maoists failed to bring members of the civil society in the expanded legislature,” he said.

According to a recent understanding, the Nepali Congress, UML and CPN-Maoist will get 10 seats each, NC-D six while Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi), Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party, Jan Morcha Nepal and United Left Front will get three seats each out of the 48 seats initially allocated for civil society.