KATHMANDU: The 18 parliamentarians elected in the January 25 National Assembly election have formally taken their oath of office and secrecy. The ceremony was held on Monday at the hall of the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee in Singh Durbar.

National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal administered the oath to the members in a special ceremony.

In the 59-member National Assembly, elections are held every two years for one-third of the members. With the terms of 19 members ending on March 4, the January 25 election was conducted to fill 18 seats, as one seat is reserved for presidential nomination on the government’s recommendation.

Among the elected members, Sunil Bahadur Thapa, Roshni Meche, and Som Portel represent Koshi Province, while Mahantha Thakur, Dharmendra Paswan, Ranjit Karna, and Rekha Jha represent Madhesh Province.

From Bagmati Province, Gita Devkota and Dr. Prem Dangal were elected; Gandaki Province elected Jagat Timilsina and Samjhana Devkota; Lumbini Province elected Ram Kumari Jhakri, Basudev Jangali, and Chandra Bahadur KC; Karnali Province elected Lalit Jung Shahi and Mina Rakhal; and Sudurpashchim Province elected Khamma Bahadur Khati and Leela Bhandari.