It is surprising why the Maoist Centre did not field any candidates in the three constituencies
KATHMANDU, APRIL 4
Although a by-election to the House of Representatives (HoR) normally doesn't generate much interest among the public, other than the place where it is taking place, the polls on April 23 in three constituencies are being keenly debated. In total, 69 candidates filed their nominations on Monday for the by-elections to be held in Chitwan-2, Bara-2 and Tanahu-1.
According to the Election Commission, Bara- 2 has the largest number of candidates at 36, with 12 coming from the political parties and the remaining standing up as independents. In Chitwan-2, 24 candidates, including chairman of the newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Rabi Lamicchane, filed their nominations at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. Of them, 12 represent various political parties while the remaining 12 are independent candidates.
Tanahun-1 has nine aspiring candidates with no independents. By-elections are being held in the three constituencies because the HoR seats have fallen vacant after Ram Chandra Poudel of Tanahun-1 was elected President of the country, Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav of Bara-2 became the Vice-President, and Lamichhane of Chitwan-2 had to vacate his seat following his citizenship controversy.
Since the November 20 general elections, which threw a hung parliament, the country's politics has been witnessing a lot of turbulences, which have taken a heavy toll on ethics. To begin with, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, despite his party ranking third in the polls, has been sticking to power by shifting alliances from the Nepali Congress to the CPN (UML) and back to the Nepali Congress.
Even in his seventh attempt, he has failed to cobble up a full council of ministers, which has alienated some of the influential leaders in the 10-party coalition. Although in the coalition, parties are going their own ways to prop up candidates in the by-elections. In Bara, for instance, CK Raut's Janamat Party and Aam Janata Party have filed nomination papers against Janata Samajabadi Party-Nepal Chair Upendra Yadav, which shows division in the ruling coalition. But for Yadav to stand up for the April 23 by-election, after having lost the November 20 elections to Raut in Saptari-2, is most unethical. Economist Swornim Wagle created quite a storm last week when he quit the Nepali Congress abruptly to join the RSP as its candidate for the by-election in Tanahun-1. It is surprising why the Prime Minister's party, the Maoist Centre, did not field any candidates in the three constituencies. Was it to show its loyalty to the NC or because it saw little chance of winning in any of these constituencies? The focus of the by-elections is definitely on Chitwan-2, where Lamichhane will try to regain his lost seat in the House. But the question is whether he remains as popular as he was in November. Although he was cleared of the passport dispute by the Office of the Attorney General recently, a fresh writ petition has been filed at the Supreme Court against the decision of the Office of the Attorney General. Because of the high stakes involved in the upcoming by-elections, the Election Commission has the obligation to see that the election code of conduct is followed by all until the polls are over.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 5, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
