KATHMANDU, JANUARY 21
As the election nomination has been completed, the election fever has started to grip the 165 constituencies across the country.
According to the Election Commission's most recent update, 3,486 candidates have registered their nominations in 165 constituencies across the country for the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) election.
Meanwhile, a few constituencies have emerged as the epicentres of the March 5 election. These constituencies are popular due to the new trend posed by political parties, as they are expected to deliver a new prime minister following the election. The Jhapa-5 constituency in Koshi province has emerged as the most anticipated, with Rastriya Swatantra Party senior leader Balendra (Balen) Shah challenging CPN-UML president and former three-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli.
Many have even claimed that Jhapa-5 is the epicentre of this election, which has accelerated the anticipation following the Gen Z Revolution of September 8 and 9 last year.
Both parties have projected Jhapa-5 candidates as prime ministerial candidates. Following their seven-point agreement in December, RSP projected Shah as its prime ministerial candidate, while Oli is also the CPN-UML's prime ministerial candidate.
Another constituency which has gained substantial traction is the Sarlahi-4 constituency of Madhes province. Gagan Thapa, the newly-elected president of the Nepali Congress through a special convention, is up against Amresh Singh, who has recently joined the RSP. Singh previously won the Sarlahi-4 seat as an independent candidate.
Thapa has been projected as the Nepali Congress' prime minister candidate in the upcoming election. However, following Thapa's nomination, Singh stated that he would give up his life if Thapa won Sarlahi-4 against him.
Three other former prime ministers - Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai - also submitted their nomination papers yesterday.
While former prime minister and coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party Dahal filed his nomination from the Rukum East Constituency, leader of the Progressive Democratic Party Bhattarai filed his nomination papers from Gorkha Constituency-2.
Shram Sanskriti Party Chair Harka Sampang has filed his nomination from Sunsari Constituency-1. He has also declared himself as the prime ministerial candidate in the election.
Nepali Communist Party leader Nepal filed his nomination paper from Rautahat Constituency-1.
Even if Nepal is not legally barred from running for office, if he is elected, he will be unable to serve as an MP, minister or prime minister. In other words, he won't be able to take part in any meeting that decides whether or not a law is passed, beginning with the parliamentary election to choose the prime minister.
The House of Representatives Election Act prohibits those who have been convicted of corruption and whose cases have not been resolved from running for office. Nepal's case is pending in a special court.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a special court case against Nepal in connection with the Patanjali land embezzlement.
Section 33 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 2002 states that if a public servant is accused of corruption, he or she is automatically suspended until the case is resolved. The act also states that anyone holding a public office or a legislative position is considered a public servant.
The CIAA has requested Rs 185.85 million from Nepal in the Patanjali land case. The Council of Ministers decided in 2010, when Nepal was prime minister, to approve the purchase of land exempt from the limit. There is a provision for automatic suspension until the corruption case is resolved.