Bleak prospects for PR CM aspirants in Province 7

Dhangadi, December 19

As the CPN-UML and CPN-MC are under statutory obligation to fill the remaining seats of the provincial assembly under the proportional representation from among women to meet the constitutional requirement, leaders of the parties expecting to land the post of chief minister through proportional representation are likely to lose hope in Province 7.

As per the final election results in the province, CPN-MC and UML will form a government standing on two-third majority votes secured by the alliance under the first-past-the-post and proportional representation systems. But given the statutory provision of mandatory women’s participation in the provincial assembly, chances of males whose names featured in the top of the PR list and were seen as a potential CM candidates, have become nil.

From the UML, former minister Karna Thapa is the much talked about name for the post of chief minister in the province. His name figured in number 1 of the PR list.

“As the charter has ensured 33 per cent participation in the provincial assembly as well, we can’t help nominating women in all proportional provincial berths, which in turn rules out the chances of males whose names featured on the top of the PR list and were the strongest chief ministerial candidates for the province,” clarified UML central member Maheshwor Pathak.

Similarly, chances of CPN-MC’s Hari Chaudhary too are all but nonexistent as he is unlikely to make it to the provincial assembly as member under the proportional system. “His (Chaudhary’s) name was on the top of our PR list, but as he is unlikely to be nominated given the provision of 33 per cent mandatory women’s representation, his chances of landing the post of CM are zero,” said CPN-MC secretariat member and Province 7 in-charge Lekhraj Bhatta.

Devaki Malla of the party is the only one directly elected woman representative to the provincial assembly elected from the province. She won from Bajhang.

Meanwhile, with the potential male CM candidates listed on top of the PR list likely to lose their chances to all female candidates to be nominated under the proportional system in the provincial assembly, other leaders of the parties have started lobbying the central leadership for their own chances.

While Prakash Shah, Tara Lama Tamang, Dirgha Sodari, Pathansingh Bohara are the CM aspirants from UML, CPN-MC leaders Birman Chaudhary, Maheshdatta Joshi and Jhapat Bohara are billed as the potential CM candidates from CPN-Maoist.

As per the poll results in the province, UML and CPN-MC have claimed 17 and 10 FPTP provincial seats respectively. Nepali Congress got four and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal won one FPTP seats in the provincial assembly. Likewise, of the total 21 provincial seats under the proportional representation, NC and UML have secured eight and seven seats respectively, leaving four seats for the CPN-MC and two for RJP-N.