Kathmandu, January 20
Candidate registration for the first-past-the-post (direct) seats in the House of Representatives Election–2082 BS is taking place across the country today (Tuesday).
The Election Commission has set the nomination filing hours from 10 am to 5 pm at election offices in all 165 constituencies nationwide.
Veteran Nepali Congress leader, former party president, and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, however, will not be in the race for the election scheduled for Falgun 21. He announced late last night that he would not contest.
“Chairperson of the Nepali Congress and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will not be a candidate in the upcoming House of Representatives election,” his personal secretary Bhanu Deuba said in a press note issued at 12:15 am.
Deuba had been continuously elected from Dadeldhura since the 2048 BS election. Injured in a violent attack during the Gen Z movement, he had expressed a desire to contest one final election. In line with this, the party’s district committee had also made a sole recommendation for his candidacy. However, following intensified disputes linked to the party’s second special general convention, Deuba decided not to run.
Newly elected Nepali Congress president Gagan Kumar Thapa is contesting from Sarlahi-4. He had previously contested from Kathmandu-4.
CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli, who was ousted from power following the Gen Z movement, is contesting from Jhapa-5, a constituency he previously won. In the last election, Oli secured victory with 52,319 votes, while his closest rival, Nepali Congress leader Khagendra Adhikari, received 23,743 votes.
At the time, the Nepali Congress had an electoral alliance with the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the CPN (Unified Socialist), while the UML was backed by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). In the same constituency, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidate Suresh Kumar Pokharel finished third with 11,759 votes.
This time, Oli faces a challenge from RSP’s Balen Shah, whom the party has projected as a future prime ministerial candidate. Shah resigned from his post as Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City on Sunday and has entered the campaign.
CPN coordinator and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is contesting from Rukum East, the birthplace of the Maoist insurgency. He has already reached the district to file his nomination. In the 2079 BS election, Prachanda was elected from Gorkha-2 with support from the Nepali Congress and the Unified Socialist.
In that election, Prachanda secured 26,109 votes, while RSP candidate Kabindra Burlakoti finished second with 12,639 votes. UML’s Abdus Salam Miya came third with 7,395 votes.
RSP chair and former home minister Rabi Lamichhane is contesting from Chitwan-2, a constituency he won in both the 2079 BS general election and the 2080 BS by-election. In 2079 BS, Lamichhane won decisively with 49,300 votes, while Nepali Congress leader Umesh Shrestha finished second with 14,988 votes.
Following Lamichhane’s suspension over a dual citizenship case, a by-election was held in 2080 BS, in which he again emerged victorious with 53,176 votes. Nepali Congress candidate Jitanarayan Shrestha finished second with 11,214 votes.
Former prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai is contesting from Gorkha-2. In the previous election, he had vacated the seat for Prachanda. Bhattarai has announced via Facebook that he will contest this time under the election symbol of the Progressive Democratic Party (Pralopa).
In Gorkha-2, the Nepali Congress has fielded Prakash Chandra Dawadi, the CPN has nominated youth leader Lekhnath Nyaupane, the UML has nominated controversial figure Chakre Milan, and the RSP has repeated its previous candidate Burlakoti.
Kulman Ghising, who led three ministries in the post–Gen Z movement government, is contesting his first parliamentary election from Kathmandu-3. Ghising, who served as minister for energy, physical infrastructure, and urban development in the interim government led by Sushila Karki, resigned Poush 23.
While in office, Ghising had formed the Ujyalo Nepal Party under his patronage and unified it with the RSP on Poush 14, after which he was appointed senior vice-chair. He later announced the split from the RSP and revived the Ujyalo Nepal Party.
Harka Sampang, who resigned as Mayor of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, is contesting from Sunsari-1 under the election symbol ‘soil’ of his Labour Culture Party. He resigned from office on Magh 4 to enter the race. In the 2079 BS local elections, Sampang won the mayoral post with 20,821 votes as an independent candidate.
Former prime minister Prachanda’s daughter Renu Dahal is contesting from Chitwan-3. The former Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City resigned from her post to contest the election on behalf of the CPN led by Prachanda. She had won the mayoral election in 2079 BS with 52,028 votes.
Janamat Party chair CK Raut is contesting from Saptari-2, a constituency he also contested in the previous election, defeating JSP Nepal chair Upendra Yadav. Yadav is preparing to contest from Saptari-3 this time.
RPP chair Rajendra Lingden is contesting again from Jhapa-3, while RPP leader Kamal Thapa is running from Kathmandu-5.
CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel is contesting from Dang-2. Nepali Congress General Secretary Pradeep Paudel is contesting from Kathmandu-5, where former UML senior vice-chair Ishwar Pokharel is also a candidate.
