Maoist lawmaker Narayan Prasad Dahal elected as National Assembly Chairman

KATHMANDU, March 12: CPN (Maoist Center) lawmaker Narayan Prasad Dahal has been elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly after defeating Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Yuvraj Sharma.

Dahal secured 39 votes while Sharma secured 17 votes during the election held at the National Assembly meeting at the Federal Parliament Building, New Baneshwor. A total of 56 of the 59 lawmakers were present at the National Assembly meeting on Tuesday.

Dahal was supported by lawmakers from the Maoist Center, CPN-UML, CPN (Unified Socialist), and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP). Similarly, NC candidate Sharma was supported by Loktantrik Samajbadi Party.

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The post of National Assembly Chairman fell vacant after the six-year term of incumbent Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina ended recently. 

Talking to media persons while exiting the meeting after his election to the post, Chairman Dahal shared that he would play an active role in establishing the thinking that the National Assembly is an essential institution.

“I am committed to uniting National Assembly members of all parties to fulfill the entire roles and responsibilities of the National Assembly. I also have self-confidence that I will be successful in it,” he said.

Stating that he would move ahead, taking every activity that falls within the National Assembly’s jurisdiction seriously, the National Assembly Chairman Dahal stressed that he would be involved in formulating laws as well as boosting the prestige of the National Assembly.

Dahal took the oath of office and secrecy before President Ram Chandra Paudel on Tuesday itself.