Hetauda, November 5

Despite their words to accord priority to new candidates, major parties have fielded old faces for parliamentary polls in Makawanpur district.

The CPN-UML, which emerged as the first party in the recently concluded civic polls, has fielded former lawmakers Krishna Prasad Dahal and Birodh Khatiwada for parliamentary seats from Constituency No 1 and 2 in the district. Dahal, who became poll candidate three times in the past, clinched victory twice. Dahal had contested polls against Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Kamal Thapa thrice.

Similarly, Khatiwada, a candidate from Constituency  No 2 for parliamentary seat, has so far tasted victory three times from  the same constituency.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Chair Kamal Thapa is one  of the oldest faces to contest the polls in the district. Thapa, who  contested the polls six times since 1981, has won in elections only  twice. After the restoration of democracy, Thapa had won the mid-term  election of 1995 by defeating UML’s Krishna Prasad

Dahal.

NC candidate Mahalaxmi Upadhyay from Constituency No 2 for parliamentary seat was defeated in the first parliamentary polls after the restoration of democracy. She was defeated in the 1995 mid-term polls. Upadhyay, who was Constituent Assembly member in the first and second CA under the proportional representation electoral system, is now a poll candidate under the first-past-the-post electoral system from the NC.

Naya Shakti Party-Nepal has made Pralhad Lamichhane its candidate for parliamentary seats from Constituency No 1. He was in the poll fray for both Constituency Assembly elections. He was a candidate from then CPN-Maoist. Though elected in the first CA polls, Lamichhane was defeated in the second CA polls.