Kathmandu, October 17

Milan Pandey was elected chairman of Bibeksheel Nepali Dal by its national convention, which was held in Janakpur yesterday.

Pandey had defeated his opponent Shiva Thapa by 98 votes, of the total 432 votes counted. Pandey had received 254 votes while Thapa had received 156 votes. Of the total 444 votes that were cast, 12 votes were invalid while 22 voters had cast ‘no vote.’

Bibeksheel Nepali had allowed a system to cast ‘no vote’ giving voters the right not to choose any leader. Bibeksheel Nepali has also been demanding ‘no vote’ in the national voting system.

The party had also allowed online voting from other parts of the country as well as from abroad. The party, however, did not want to disclose how many votes were cast through online system. Bibeksheel has also been demanding that the government introduce a system allowing Nepalis residing abroad to cast their votes during national elections.

After emerging victorious, Pandey said youths in the country had power to change politics as they had imagined for years. “Data shows that above 83 per cent of country’s population comprised the age group below 45-years. So definitely, youths have decisive power in shaping the country’s future,” he said, adding, “Our move will be to address the demands of the youths in the coming elections,” Pandey said.

He added the party will continue its anti-corruption campaigns and campaigns against all forms of violence. “Our campaigns will now be result-oriented and we will run various programmes to make people aware about the major five national policies; security policy, education policy, good governance policy, health policy and heritage policy of our party.”

Bibeksheel Nepali Dal had made its entry into Nepali politics by filling its candidates in the second constitutional election in 2013. In July 2017, Ujwal Thapa-led Bibeksheel Nepali Dal and Rabindra Mishra-led Sajha Party had merged into Bibeksheel Sajha Party. However, seventeen months later the party suffered a split in January 2019.