The Nepali Congress on Monday selected its candidates for the National Assembly elections scheduled for January 25.

A meeting of the central working committee finalised the names of 10 candidates. Six of them are said to be close to the party’s establishment while others from the dissident faction.

Congress, the largest party in the coalition government, has decided to field former home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula for a seat to be elected from Koshi Province and Anand Prasad Dhungana for a Madhes Province seat.

Similarly, Jit Jung Basnet and Bishnu Devi Pudasaini will contest in Bagmati Province while Kiran Babu Shrestha and Padam Bahadur Pariyar have been selected for the seats to be elected from Gandaki Province.

Bishnu Kumari Sapkota and Krishna Bahadur Rokaya will vie from Lumbini and Karnali provinces respectively.

Likewise, Baldev Bohara and Narayan Dutt Bhatta have been picked for Sudupaschim Province seats.

The party’s General Secretary Gagan Thapa, however, registered his note of dissent against the committee’s decision. He expressed his dissatisfaction saying that the meeting failed to select the candidates as per the principle of inclusive representation. He also said the selection wasn’t fair as some of the candidates were given chances repeatedly as they were elected lawmakers in the past while some qualified and genuine party leaders were denied tickets.

Party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who leads the establishment faction, commands a clear majority in the party committees. General Secretary Thapa and senior leader Shekhar Koirala, among others, lead the dissident faction in the party.

The main opposition CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) had finalised their candidates on Saturday.

The Maoists will contest for six seats, as per the power-sharing deal in the ruling coalition. As per the agreement, the largest party Congress will field its candidates in 10 of the 19 vacant seats. The Maoist Centre has got six while the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Janata Samajbadi Party have got two and one seats, respectively.

UML has announced nominees for all 19 of the vacant seats.

The term of 20 lawmakers in the 59-strong upper house expires on March 3. While 19 seats will be filled through elections, one member will be nominated by the President at the Cabinet’s recommendation.