After Sunday's election, the National Assembly will have 18 new members. They will assume their duties as members of the National Assembly only after 21 Falgun. Similarly, one member will be nominated by the President on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.

Since there is a constitutional provision that the term of one-third of the members is completed every two years and new members are added, Sunday's election and the nomination of one member by the President are a natural process. However, at a time when concerns are being expressed about the dignity of the National Assembly, the special role of the new members should be meaningful.

The new members should feel responsible to prevent the repetition of the shortcomings of the past and to make the activities of the National Assembly meaningful. Only if this happens will the expectations placed by the constitution and the citizens on our National Assembly be fulfilled. In addition, the essence of the bicameral parliamentary system will also be addressed. 

Congress's Sunil Bahadur Thapa, Ranjit Karna, Dharmendra Paswan, Geeta Devkota, Jagat Timilsina, Vasudev Ghimire, Chandra Bahadur KC, Lalit Jung Shahi and Khamma Bahadur Khati were elected in Sunday's election. Similarly, UML's Roshni Meche, Somnath Portel, Rekha Jha, Prem Prasad Dangal, Samjhana Devkota, Ram Kumari Jhankri, Meena Singh Rakhal and Leela Kumari Bhandari have been elected. Similarly, Mahantha Thakur has been elected from JSP Nepal.

With the newly elected members taking office, there will also be a change in the arithmetic of the National Assembly. Now, the Congress will become the first party with 25 seats. Earlier, it was the second largest party. The CPN, which was the first largest party before, will lose 8 seats out of 25 and fall to second. UML will remain in third place with 10 seats. JSP will be the fourth party with three seats and Rastriya Janamorcha will be the fifth party with one seat. In addition, three members nominated by the President will also be in the National Assembly.

The Congress-UML-JSP Nepal alliance was formed for the National Assembly elections. These three parties had formed an alliance in the National Assembly elections, which were almost certain to win or lose. The results have come according to the alliance formed when Sher Bahadur Deuba was the President. The three parties achieved the desired results amid expectations that the change in leadership in the Congress would alter the results of the National Assembly elections.

However, no alliance was announced at the central level for the House of Representatives elections. Amidst the increasing negative comments about the alliance, the lack of an alliance in the House of Representatives elections is positive. The alliances that are being formed without public justification but centered only on party interests were discrediting the elections themselves. Therefore, the parties should refrain from alliances that are used to establish syndicates even in easy and regular situations.

There is a regular discussion on the selection of members of the National Assembly, the independent existence of the Assembly and its special role. There is a tradition of selecting renowned people, experts who have contributed to the nation through their studies, research and activities in the upper house. It can be understood from the concept that the National Assembly will mature.

In the lower house, the House of Representatives, laws and policies can be passed under the influence of passion, excitement, popular sentiment and power gains. It is expected that a mature assembly will analyze the situation, brainstorm based on expertise, and make a decision based on the long-term interests of the nation. However, the National Assembly has not been able to play such a role.

The obstruction of the assembly, the discussions on issues raised during zero and special hours, bills, and issues of public concern have been taking place in the House of Representatives. The context of the discussion on the sale of electricity during the discussion on the ‘Electricity Trade Bill, 2080’ was much talked about. The conclusion is that the National Assembly has not been able to maintain its weight.

It is found that the parties have been ignoring the dignity of the National Assembly since the time they selected their candidates. Candidates who were defeated at the local level or the House of Representatives have been taken to the National Assembly within a short time. There has been a trend of making National Assembly members to manage leaders who have become irrelevant in national politics.

This has further strengthened the parties’ neglect and coercion towards the National Assembly. The members have also not been able to realize their special role. They have been presenting themselves as the approvers of the decisions of the House of Representatives. As long as this trend continues, even if the National Assembly remains the upper house, its weight and expectations towards it cannot rise.

Now is the time for the National Assembly to establish our legitimacy. That will be possible only when it can mature its role. For that, when selecting its candidates, parties should not be able to select people from the perspective of managing leaders, but should be able to select people who can uphold the dignity of the National Assembly. Members of the National Assembly should also present their role as responsible members. New members should vow not to let the weaknesses of the past repeat themselves.