Prior to joining RSP, Limbu had declared himself an independent candidate for the April 27 by-election
KATHMANDU, MARCH 28
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to field Milan Limbu as its Federal Parliament candidate in the upcoming Ilam-2 by-election slated for April 27.
Issuing a press release today, RSP stated that Milan Limbu has been chosen and will be representing RSP in the upcoming by-election as he has been supported by five other party members who had contested in the primary election system.
Limbu, 32, became the unanimous candidate after five other candidates withdrew and supported his nominations in the upcoming by-elections. Previously, five RSP members were on the initial list. Limbu, on the other hand, had begun his campaign to run as an independent candidate, while the RSP had also announced the election program, which included holding 'primary elections' in accordance with party statute.
"However, Limbu was chosen as the unanimous candidate for Ilam-2 despite the fact that a primary election was scheduled for March 29," RSP lawmaker and whip Nisha Dangi told THT.
RSP, which announced the names of six candidates, including Limbu, on Wednesday, officially announced him as a candidate on Thursday through a press release.
On the other hand, during today's discussion, Lawmaker Nisha Dangi stated that all of the candidates who contested for the Ilam-2 primary election supported Milan Limbu. "As a result, he was chosen for the Ilam-2 without a primary election as the 'bell-bearer' candidate for the upcoming by-election."
Milan is also the General Secretary of the Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Journalists (FoNIJ) and was secretary at Press Centre Nepal. Apart from that, Limbu was affiliated with CPN-MC.
"He had already left the Maosit Centre and declared himself an independent candidate for the by-elections. He recently joined the RSP, and today he received unanimous support from all of the candidates for the April 27 by-elections," said Nisha Dangi.
She went on to say that she believes Limbu will also win the election. "I visited Ilam three weeks ago and discovered an attraction to the new face and Limbu. Furthermore, RSP has a strong presence in Ilam-2; therefore, Limbu appears to be the best candidate for the upcoming by-election. And we are confident that he will be victorious."
Meanwhile, the CPN-UML has decided to field Suhang Nembang, the son of the late Subash Chandra Nembang, who died last year on September 13 from a heart attack. Since the 1999 general elections, the UML leader had won the constituency without losing.
Nembang defeated the Nepali Congress's Dambar Bahadur Khadka by a margin of 1,014 votes in the election held in November 2022. Khadka, the alliance's common candidate led by the Congress, received 29,906 votes, while he received 30,020.
Elections in the Sudurpaschim Assembly constituency of Bajhang (A) will take place in addition to Ilam-2. Prithvi Bahadur Singh, a member of the provincial assembly and the province's minister for internal affairs and law, was killed in a vehicle accident in June, leaving the seat vacant.
The commission has not yet determined when to hold elections for the roughly two dozen open positions at the local level. There are vacancies in 17 ward positions, one post for the chief of the district coordination committee, and one chair and one vice-chairperson of rural municipalities. There are even more open positions for ward members. In contrast to the provinces and the federal parliament, there are no explicit legal or constitutional provisions for by-elections at the local level, so the commission is still unsure about how to proceed with local elections.
Article 84(7) of the Constitution stipulates, "In case the seat of any member of the House of Representatives falls vacant while its term still remains for more than six months, the vacancy shall be fulfilled in the same manner of electoral system as in which such seat was fulfilled."
Similarly, Article 176 (8) of the constitution reads that, "in case the seat of a member of the Provincial Assembly falls vacant while its term still remains for more than six months, the vacancy shall be fulfilled through the same electoral system as through which such seat was fulfilled."
In Ilam, 20 parties have registered for the election, while in Bajhang, 19 parties have done so, according to Election Commission records. The RSP has decided not to participate in the provincial assembly by-elections.
