KATHMANDU, JANUARY 15
Jangilal Rai Yadav, who was expelled from the party without even being appointed as an ordinary member, has finally become the candidate for the post of speaker of Madhes Provincial Assembly from the Nepali Congress.
The Congress Parliamentary Party meeting decided to make Jangilal the candidate for speaker of Madhes Province. He had registered his candidacy for speaker yesterday with the proposal of Congress MP Kumarkant Jha and the support of Jivachi Devi. Voting for the speaker in Madhes Province will be held tomorrow.
Jangilal, who had won the election as a Provincial Assembly member from Sarlahi Constituency No 2 (A), was expelled from the party by the Nepali Congress on 18 November and was not even an ordinary member.
When the five-party alliance failed to reach agreement, Jangilal from the Nepali Congress and Sunil Kumar Shah from the Maoist Centre were candidates for Sarlahi Constituency No 2 (A) Province Assembly. Later, when the alliance underwent division, the Maoist candidate was selected. However, Jangilal did not back down. The Nepali Congress asked Jangilal for an explanation. But after there was no answer or retreat, two days before the election, the party took disciplinary action and removed him from the party.
Anand Prasad Dhungana, the coordinator of the Central Disciplinary Committee of the Congress, had written the following in the statement regarding Jangilal's expulsion, "In the forthcoming elections to the House of Representatives and Province Assembly Member 2022, as you have been asked for an explanation regarding your failure to act in accordance with the agreement between the Nepali Congress and the alliance in the Province Assembly and as you have not submitted an explanation with your opinion within the given time, you are informed of the action taken by the NB by-laws, 2017 (with amendments) to terminate your party membership."
However, he remained a rebel candidate and managed to win the election. The party has not even released notice of action against him. But yesterday, the Nepali Congress made him the candidate for speaker. The meeting of the parliamentary party decided to make him the candidate.
A congress man said the notice of action against Jangilal was still in the process of being released. "Before the elections, action was taken against Jangilal as per the alliance, but there is no alliance anymore. So, it does not matter."
Jangilal's competition for the speaker's post will be with Ramchandra Mandal of the CPN-UML, a member of the ruling coalition. Ramchandra is the speaker candidate from the alliance. Jangilal has the support of the NC and the CPN (Unified Socialists).
In the 107-member Madhes PA, there are 23 UML members, 22 NC members, 16 Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal members, 13 Janamat Party members, nine members each from Loktantrik Samajwadi Party-Nepal and CPN-Maoist Centre, seven CPN (Unified Socialist) members, and one member each from Nagarik Unmukti Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nepal Federal Socialist Party and five independent members.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 16, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
