KATHMANDU, Jan 5:   The candidates contesting the upcoming National Assembly elections for January 23 have registered their nominations on Sunday.

The candidates fielded their candidacies at the offices of Election Commission in the respective province headquarters.

In Kathmandu, Beduram Bushal and Ganga Belbase of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, Hari Sharan Shrestha and Chali Kumari Sherma of main opposition Nepali Congress and Krishna Bhadur Tamang and Gita Kafle of Nepal Workers' Peasant Party registered nominations for the NA elections.

After registering his candidacy, NCP's Beduram Bushal said that he will play active role to bring reforms in the process of formulating the country's laws through the upper house.

Similarly, another candidate Ganga Belbase of NCP vowed to play crucial role in the country's policy making through parliament.

Likewise, candidate from Nepali Congress Hari Sharan Shrestha maintained that he will be working to promulgate appropriate laws for the country. "I will raise my voice against the government's autocratic moves," he said.

The candidates were asked to get registered their nominations from 10 am to 3 pm today in ther respective provincial capitals.

In view of the polls, two major political parties—Nepal Communist Party and Nepali Congress have already announced their candidates for the election. Both the parties have forged electoral alliance in an attempt to counter each other. 

NCP and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) have reached an understanding to support each other in the election to counter the rival alliance of NC and Samajbadi Party. 

The Election Commission is holding the election on January 23 to elect 18 upper house members. The terms of 19 incumbent members are expiring on March 3.

Among them, 18 members will be elected from the political parties. As per the constitution, the president will nominate one member on her own.

Previously, the upper house members were elected through a single transferable voting system. Out of the 59 seats in the upper house, NCP had then secured 42 seats, including three nominated by the president.

Among the 59 members in the upper house, 19 have a tenure of two years, 20 have four-year tenures and the rest have six years, according to upper house regulations.

Among the 19 outgoing members, nine are from the NCP, seven from Nepali Congress, two from Rastriya Janata Party Nepal and one from Samajbadi Party.

This time, the EC is electing the members on a majority basis. NCP, which commands majority in the local and provincial assemblies, is likely to bag most of the upper house seats in the election. 

In a bid to counter NC-led alliance, it has fielded 16 candidates whereas the party has pledged to support two candidates from RJPN. 

Provincial assembly members and the chiefs and deputy chiefs of local units will cast their votes to elect the new upper house members. According to the EC, a total of 2056 voters will cast their votes in the January 23 election.

 
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• nomination.