Kathmandu, May 5
Provincial lawmakers and local government officials in the Bagmati province who are close to the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led faction of the ruling CPN-UML are highly likely to vote against the party’s official candidate Ram Bahadur Thapa in the National Assembly by-election to be held on May 20.
The rival group has decided to partner with the opposition parties including the Nepali Congress, the CPN-Maoist Centre and Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal. The alliance has also decided to field planning expert Khim Lal Devkota against Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa.
Devkota himself is considered close to the UML’s Madhav disgruntled faction. However, as the party has not officially split, he will contest the poll as the CPN-Maoist Centre candidate.
A National Assembly seat representing the Bagmati province is vacant with the Maoist Centre removing Ram Bahadur Thapa from the party after he joined the KP Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML. Laws have it that if a lawmaker leaves a party that he represents during the election, his/her position in the legislature turns vacant.
