Kathmandu, November 3

As many as eight former finance ministers are contesting the upcoming polls under first-past-the-post electoral system and proportional representation electoral system slated for November 26 and December 7.

Apart from the eight former finance ministers, incumbent Finance Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and Minister of State for Finance Udaya Shumsher Rana, are also in the poll fray under FPTP. Others in the race for FPTP election include two former finance ministers from the Nepali Congress — Ram Sharan Mahat and Mahesh Acharya, two from the CPN-UML — Surendra Pandey and Bishnu Paudel, two from CPN-Maoist Centre — Barsha Man Pun and Krishna Bahadur Mahara, and coordinator of Naya Shakti Party-Nepal Baburam Bhattarai.

Meanwhile, Prakash Chandra Lohani, chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party Rastrabadi, is contesting the polls under proportional representation electoral system.

Finance Minister Karki is contesting from Sunsari Constituency No 4. Karki had become a lawmaker under proportional representation electoral system in the second Constituent Assembly election of 2013. Similarly, Rana, who was elected from Lalitpur-1 in 2013, is contesting from the same constituency. In the first Constituent Assembly election, another former finance minister Barsha Man Pun had defeated Rana.

Mahat, who has continuously been elected since 1994 from Nuwakot, has filed his candidacy from Constituency No 1 of the same district. Hit Bahadur Tamang of the left alliance is in competition with Mahat in Nuwakot. Even though he was defeated in the first election after restoration of democracy in 1991, Mahat was appointed as the vice chairman of National Planning Commission — the apex planning body of the country — by then prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala. First appointed as the finance minister in 1995, he has assumed the post six times — the most recent being 2013.

Another Congress leader Acharya is contesting from Morang-5. Acharya had served as state minister for finance after the election of 1992 and as Finance Minister in 1999. Acharya was elected from Morang-6 in the last election.

Similarly, former finance minister and CPN-UML leader Pandey is contesting the polls from Chitwan-1, from where he was elected as lawmaker in the second Constituent Assembly election. Pandey had served as finance minister in 2010.

Another UML leader Paudel served as finance minister in 2016.

Similarly, CPN-Maoist Centre leader Mahara is contesting from Dang-2. He was elected from Rolpa-1 in the second Constituent Assembly election and elected from Dang-3 in the first Constituent Assembly election. Mahara was elected from Rolpa-1 in the 1999 election. Mahara had served as finance minister earlier this year.

Another Maoist leader Pun, who had served as finance minister in 2012, is contesting from Rolpa.

Similarly, coordinator of Naya Shakti Party-Nepal Bhattarai is contesting from Gorkha-2 for the parliamentary seat. Bhattarai was elected from the same constituency in 2008 and from Gorkha-1 in 2013.

Meanwhile, Lohani has registered his candidacy under proportional representation electoral system representing RPP-R. Lohani was elected from Nuwakot in 1991 and 1994. Lohani had first become the finance minister during Panchayat regime in 1984 and also after restoration of democracy in 2003.

Among the prominent names, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, senior leader of CPN-UML and former deputy prime minister and finance minister, has not registered his candidacy. He had served as the finance minister in 1994, 2003 and 2010.