By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Jan. 23: National Assembly (NA) election will take place on Thursday to pick 18 NA members.
The Election Commission (EC) has fixed voting period from 10 am to 4 pm tomorrow.
Movements of voters have increased at the polling centers in all seven States after the State Assembly members and chiefs and deputy chiefs of local levels started reaching there.
A total of six political parties - Nepal Communist Party, Nepali Congress, Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, Rastriya Janamorcha and Nepal Majadoor Kisan Party - are contesting the election.
Earlier, as many as 11 political parties had registered with the election body for the NA election.
Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya said that the Commission had completed all preparations for the NA election.
Addressing a press meet at the EC headquarters on Wednesday, Thapaliya said that all essential materials, including ballot papers, had already been transported to the respective offices of Returning Officers in the seven States.
A total of 2056 voters are eligible to cast their votes. Among them, 550 are State Assembly members and 1,506 are chiefs and deputy chiefs of local levels—Gaunpalikas and municipalities.
As per the National Assembly Election Act, a vote of State Assembly member carries the weightage of 48 while a vote of chief or deputy-chief of a local level weighs 18.
“The EC has distributed a total of 6,260 ballot papers to the respected chief election officer of all the seven States. All voters are expected to reach the respected polling stations by tonight,” reads a statement issued by the EC.
“The voting will start from 10 am and end at 4 pm on Thursday. Security has been beefed up in the voting areas,” the statement further said.

The voting centers have been set up in the headquarters of the districts where the High Court of the seven States are located.
The voting centers are in Birendra City Hall at Biratnagar in State 1, Mahendra Narayan Smriti Building at Janakpur in State 2, Office of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Ward Number 4 in Bagmati State, Kaski District Election Office in Pokhara in Gandaki State, Karmachari Milan Kendra in Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City in State 5, Surkhet District Election Office at Surkhet in Karnali State and Padma Public Mukti Narayan Higher Secondary School of Silgadhi Municipality in Sudur Pashchim State.
The election will choose three members-one each under the categories of Women, Dalit and Others- from State 1, four members-one each from Women, Dalit, Disabled/Minority and Other category- from State 2, two members each under Women and Other category from Bagmati and Gandaki States.
Similarly, three members-one each under Women, Disabled/Minority and Other category- from State 5 and two members each under Women and Other category from Karnali and Sudur Paschim States will be elected in tomorrow’s election.
Of the NA 19 members whose term is expiring on March 3, one member will be nominated by the President on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.
Of the 59-member National Assembly members elected two years ago, 19 members have a tenure of two years, 20 have term of four years and the remaining have a full term of six years.