Fifty-two candidates filed their nominations on Monday for the election of 19 National Assembly members from seven provinces.

Of them, 18 filed their nomination under the women category, five under the Dalit category, eight from disabled and marginalised community categories and 21 from other categories.

They filed their candidacies in respective seven provincial offices of Election Officers to contest the election for the 19 seats of the Upper House slated for January 25. The election commission had allocated time from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm to register their candidacies.

The Election Commission Nepal in its press statement on Monday evening informed that the nominations of candidates were held peacefully in all of its provincial offices. In Koshi Province, five candidates filed their nominations.

Rukmani Koirala of the CPN-UML and Champa Devi Karki of the CPN-Maoist Centre filed their candidacies under the women category. Parshu Ram Adhikair of the UML, Krishna Prasad Sitaula of the Nepali Congress (NC) and Uddav Paudel of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) filed their nominations under other categories.

In Madhes Province also five candidates filed their nominations. They included Usha Devi Tharuni of the UML and Puja Choudhari of Janata Samajwadi Party, Nepal under the women category, and Kumari Bijeta Jha of UML, Ananda Prasad Dhungana of NC and Ram Shankar Mahaseth of Janamat Party under other category.

In Bagmati Province 15 candidates filed their nominations. Roch Kumari Chaulagai of UML, Bishnu Devi Pudasaini of NC, Bal Kumari Dallakoti of RPP and Krishna Laxmi Duwal of Nepal Majdur Kishan Party (NMKP) filed their candidacy under women category, while Dhurba Raj Bishwokarma of UML, Ghanashyam Rijal of Maoist Centre and Sangita Nepali of NMKP filed candidacy under Dalit category.

Bibek Devkota of UML, Shreekrishna Prasad Adhikari of Maoist Centre and Himaldhar Lal Mul of NMKP filled candidacy under the disabled persons and minority community category. Trilochan Nirmal Paudel of UML, Jeet Jung Basnet of NC, Hem Jung Gurung of RPP and Shreekrishna Maharjan of NMKP filed the candidacy under other category.

In Gandaki Province eight candidates are in the fray. Samjhana Devkota of UML, Manrupa Sharma of Maoist Centre and Goumaya Shrestha of RPP filed their candidacy under the women category while Hemdra Sherchan of UML and Padam Bahadur Pariyar of NC filed candidacy under disabled person and minority community category. Chakra Bahadur Parajuli of UML, Kiran Babu Shrestha of NC and Rom Bahadur Bhandari of RPP filed their candidacy under the other category.

In Lumbini Province seven candidates filed their candidacies. Tulasa Kumari KC of UML, Bishnu Kumari Sapkota of NC and Bijaya Laxmi Singh of RPP filed candidacy under the women category. Jhapendra Bahadur Gharti Chhetri of UML, Jhakku Prasad Subedi of Maoist Centre, Niranjan Kumar Thapa and Bal Govinda Choudhari of Janamat Party filed their candidacy under the other category.

Likewise, six candidates including Bimala Kumari Shahi of UML and Sabitri Malla of CPN (Unified Socialist) filed their candidacy under the women category in Karnali Province. Hikmat B.K. of the UML and Bishnu Bahadur Bishwokarma of the Maoist Centre filed their candidacy under the Dalit category while Dilli Prasad Bhatta of UML and Krishna Bahadur Rokaya of NC filed their candidacy under other category in the Karnali.

Likewise, Sabitra Devi Ghimire of UML and Renu Chand of Maoist Centre under women category, Ram Chandra Joshi of UML and Narayan Dutta Bhatta of NC under disabled person and minority category, Ishwori Prasad Kharel of UML and Bal Dev Bohora of NC under other category filled their candidacy in Sudurpachhim Province. A total of six candidates filed nominations in Sudurpashchim.

EC spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel informed that as per NA election calendar, complaints against candidates can be registered on Tuesday.

Likewise, the nomination letters and complaints will be examined on Wednesday and Thursday and the candidates will be allowed to withdraw their candidacy on Friday and final lists of the candidates will be published on the same day. The candidates will be distributed the election symbols on Saturday.