Preparations are underway to administer the oath of office and secrecy to the lawmakers of the Madhesh Provincial Assembly on Friday.

An all-party meeting called by the Provincial Assembly Secretariat on Monday has decided to hold the swearing in ceremony at 2 pm on December 30.

Provincial Assembly Secretary Ranjit Yadav said that 71-year-old Govind Neupane, the senior-most member of the Assembly, will administer the oath to the provincial lawmakers. Neupane, a CPN (Unified Socialist) leader, was elected a provincial assembly lawmaker from Saptari 4 (A).

However, if Neupane is not available given his health condition, 70-year-old Sharda Shankar Prasad Kalwar, elected independently from Bara 2 (A) will administer the oath, informed Yadav.

The 107-member assembly has 23 lawmakers from the CPN-UML, 22 from Nepali Congress, 16 from Janata Samajbadi Party, 13 from Janmat Party, nine from Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, eight from CPN (Maoist Centre), seven from CPN (Unified Socialist), and one each from Nepal Sanghiya Samajbadi Party, Nepal Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party. The provincial assembly has six lawmakers elected as independents.