The ruling coalition has divided seats for the upper house among the partners.

As many as 20 National Assembly members are going to complete their terms on March 4, and elections to replace them have been scheduled for January 26.

According to Manoj Bhatta, general secretary of Rastriya Janamorcha, a meeting on Monday morning decided to allot six seats for the Nepali Congress, five seats each for the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and the CPN (Unified Socialist), two seats for the Janata Smajbadi Party and one seat for Rastriya Janamorcha.

No decision has been taken on one member who was nominated.

Eight members from the CPN-UML, three each from the Maoist Centre, CPN (Unified Socialist) and three from the Nepali Congress and one from Janata Samajbadi Party along with one nominated are completing their four-year terms as determined by the lottery in June 2018.

Of the eight members retiring from the UML, the Congress will get three and the Maoist Centre and CPN (Unified Socialist) two each. Janata Samajbadi Party will retain its two seats.

Nepal’s National Assembly is 59-member strong. Of them, 56 are elected and three are nominated. The members’ terms are determined by drawing lots—for two years, four years and six years.

Elections have already taken place for the 19 members who completed their two-year terms. After the election to replace 20 members who will retire on March 4, an election to replace the remaining 20 members, who will retire after their six-year terms, will be held after two years.

There is one independent member and three were nominated.

Komal Dhamala of the Election Commission said since the election must be 35 days before the date of the potential retirees, an election to elect the 20 members to replace them has been scheduled for January 26.

In the 59-member National Assembly, 23 members are from the UML and 13 from the Maoist Centre, excluding the chair and vice-chair. The Nepali Congress has seven members, CPN (Unified Socialist) 7, Janata Samajbadi Party 2 and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party has 1 member.

The nominated member who is going to complete his term on March 4 is Ram Narayan Bidari representing the Maoist Centre.

The National Assembly members are elected by an electoral college.