KATHMANDU: The Election Commission (EC) today held discussions with political parties in view of the National Assembly (NA) elections scheduled for January 25, 2026. The National Assembly is the upper house of the Federal Parliament.

The discussions, held at the EC Office in Kantipath, were attended by Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari, other commissioners, and representatives of nationally recognized political parties represented in the NA, including the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), and CPN (Maoist Centre).

During the meeting, EC Secretary Mahadev Pantha stated that the election schedule will be announced after consultations with political parties on the technical aspects of the election.

The law mandates that the election of NA members shall be held at least 35 days before the end of the terms of the existing members. The tenure of 19 upper house members will end on March 5, 2026. Elections will be held for 18 members, while one member will be nominated by the President.

The electoral college of the NA will include members of the Provincial Assembly, as well as the chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, mayors, and deputy mayors of local bodies within each province. Each Provincial Assembly member will have a voting weightage of 48, while each chairperson, vice-chairperson, mayor, and deputy mayor will have a voting weightage of 18.