Top leaders among nearly 3,500 candidates vying for 165 seats in Nepal elections

Kathmandu, Jan 20 (PTI) Nearly 3,500 candidates, including former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah and ex-prime ministers K P Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, filed nominations on Tuesday for the 165 seats up for grabs under the direct voting system in Nepal’s upcoming general elections.

The Himalayan nation is set to witness the House of Representatives (HoR) election on March 5.

Out of a total of 275 HoR seats, 40 per cent or 110 members are elected through a proportionate voting system.

Elections are conducted for 165 seats under the First Past the Post (FPTP) or direct voting system.

The Election Commission registered names for the FPTP from 10 am to 5 pm on Tuesday.

A total of 3,484 candidates, comprising 3088 men and 395 women, representing various political parties as well as independents, registered for the elections, according to the commission.

Shah and Oli registered their candidacy from eastern Nepal's Jhapa-5 constituency on Tuesday. While Shah has been projected as prime ministerial candidate from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) has officially declared Oli as its prime ministerial candidate.

'Prachanda' has filed nomination from Rukum East constituency in the Lumbini province, while another former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has filed nomination from Rautahat-1 in Madhesh province.

Gagan Thapa, the newly elected president of Nepali Congress -- the Himalayan nation's largest democratic party -- and the prime ministerial candidate from his party, filed nomination from the Sarlahi-4 constituency of the Madhesh province.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki expressed her gratitude to all the political parties and candidates for encouraging participation by people in the election process.

Calling it a "milestone" on the path to conducting the general election, she said, "The government is committed towards conducting the general election in a peaceful, fair and trustworthy manner. The government has deployed its security mechanism with utmost caution, professionalism and high morale." The filing of nominations by more than 3,400 candidates is proof of people's growing trust in democracy, she said, appealing to all Nepalese people to actively participate in the general election.

Meanwhile, acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said the candidate registration programme was peaceful across the country.

The commission will publish the final list of candidates on January 23 after verifying the nomination papers and addressing any complaints, said Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, Election Commission spokesperson.

The general elections were necessitated after Oli resigned as prime minister on September 9 last year, following violent protests by the youth-led Gen Z group against his government over corruption and a ban on social media.

Karki, 73, became the interim prime minister on September 12 and on her recommendation, the president dissolved the HoR and announced the election date. PTI SBP GRS GRS GRS