Left alliance fails to finalise seat sharing

Kathmandu October, 28

Top leaders of the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre held discussion on the division of first-past-the-post provincial and parliamentary constituencies of 45 districts but failed to reach a conclusion today.

These parties that have formed left alliance have finalised FPTP seats division among them for the 32 district where the first phase of provincial and parliamentary polls will be held on November 26 but have failed to allocate FPTP seats in a few districts out of 45 districts where the second phase of provincial and parliamentary polls will be held on December 7.

Leaders of both parties held a marathon meeting at the residence of UML Vice-chair Bamdev Gautam today to finalise constituencies, mainly those where they have rival claims.

Candidates wishing to contest the second phase of parliamentary and provincial polls will have to file their nomination papers on November 2.

Left alliance leaders said it would be easy for them to manage dissatisfied candidates as they would have five-day time. They said they had faced difficulty in managing the dissatisfied candidates during the nomination for the first phase of provincial and parliamentary polls.

These parties had rival claims in constituencies of Makwanpur, Chitwan, Kaski, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Morang, Sunsari, Udaypur and Banke.

As per the understanding between the two parties, the CPN-MC will get three parliamentary and three provincial constituencies in Kathmandu. Rest of the Kathmandu constituencies will go to the UML. The CPN-MC will get one constituency and three provincial constituencies in Lalitpur.

In Bhaktapur, the CPN-MC will get only one provincial constituency.

There are 37 parliamentary FPTP constituencies in 32 districts where the first phase of provincial and parliamentary polls will be held on November 26.

Similarly, there are 128 parliamentary FPTP constituencies and 256 provincial FPTP constituencies in 45 districts where the second phase of elections will take place on December 7.

Sunday is the last date for making amendments in the proportional representation candidates’ list submitted to the Election Commission and these two parties worked till late in the evening to make amendments in their PR lists. The UML and the CPN-MC will also work tomorrow morning to make amendment in the list.

UML Chair KP Sharma Oli, Senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal,Jhala Nath Khanal, Bamdev Gautam, Ishwar Pokharel,Surendra Pandey, Shankar Pokharel and CPN-MC  Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, senior leaders Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Ram Bahadur Thapa, Barshaman pun and Matrika Yadav were present in the meeting.