KATHMANDU: Vice-chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Bamdev Gautam has been appointed a member of National Assembly.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari formally endorsed Gautam's nomination to the upper house of the parliament, today.

He will subsequently take the oath when the President's Office will write to the National Assembly secretariat regarding his appointment.

On September 14, the Council of Ministers had decided on his name for for one vacant seat at the 59-member National Assembly. The same was approved on Monday's cabinet meeting and sent to the president for her seal of approval.

The seat was vacant after the then Finance Minister (now newly appointed chief economic advisor to the Prime Minister) Yuba Raj Khatiwada's two-year term ended on March 3.