Kathmandu, April 2
As the Election Commission’s date to file candidacy for various posts in 744 local bodies draws near, senior leaders from various political parties tell their supporters they wish to head Kathmandu Metropolitan City, easily the most coveted of all positions up for grabs.
Speculations are rife that popular youth leaders of major parties want to contest for the position as the head of Kathmandu, a city of 400,000 voters, could hold more sway than a minister of the federal government. Victory in the KMC race is a matter of prestige for the big parties as it will get national and the international attention for the party.
With less than a month to go for the candidacy filing day (April 29), aspirants for KMC Mayor are lobbying within their parties for their candidacy from the local to the central level. The three major political parties – Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre – have already finalised the criteria and procedures for selecting candidates for the polls, which are taking place after 20 years. They have already directed their respective local committees to recommend candidates by following the set procedures.
Recent election results suggest that the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML will vie for the position whereas the Maoist Centre can be a decisive force. During the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party also garnered considerable support. The Federal Socialist Forum is also in the race, though it is not a decisive party in Kathmandu.
Past polls
Two elections have been held in the KMC in past 24 years. During the first polls in 1992, NC’s PL Singh and Nabindra Raj Joshi were elected mayor and deputy mayor. They defeated their closest contenders UML’s Rajendra Shrestha and Keshav Sthapit respectively. In 1997, UML’s Keshav Sthapit and Bidur Mainali won the respective positions.
During the 1999 parliamentary elections, UML rose as the strongest party in Kathmandu. But, the party could not win a single seat in the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections in the city. The NC was the strongest party here followed by the Maoists. In 2013, the Maoists suffered a similar fate to that of the UML in 2008; they did not win a single seat.
Based on the 2013 results, the NC is the strongest party in KMC. But, it is worth mentioning that during the 2013 polls, the constituencies also included neighbouring VDCs, which are not part of KMC.
Nepali Congress
Besides Gagan Thapa, the name of Nabindra Raj Joshi has also been floated as a likely candidate from NC. He is currently the Member of Parliament from Kathmandu Constituency 8 and had served as the Deputy Mayor in KMC earlier. Prakash Man Singh is influential in the NC politics in Kathmandu and he may propose Joshi just to prevent Thapa’s candidacy.
An NC leader claims that Singh is lobbying for fielding Joshi and his own wife Anjali Shrestha as candidates for the mayor and deputy mayor respectively. Another strong contender from the NC for the mayor position is former lawmaker Tirtha Ram Dangol. He is considered strong because of his influence in the local Newar community here. Besides, two rival factions in the party also do not have much dispute on his name.
Likewise, Joshi’s elder brother Raju Raj Joshi is also considered a likely candidate from the party for the mayor.
CPN-UML
UML cadres have floated the name of Yogesh Bhattarai arguing that he holds influence both at the national and domestic levels. Central Office Secretary Krishna Gopal Shrestha and the Valley Committee in-charge and Politburo member Sanu Kumar Shrestha are also some names being discussed. Krishna Gopal is a former lawmaker whereas Sanu Kumar is the former Chairman of the Kathmandu District Development Committee.
Besides these three, other three names from the ‘youth’ generation have been heard at various UML meetings. They are: Central Committee member Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Kathmandu District Committee Secretary Bidya Sundar Shakya and youth leader Basanta Manandhar. A party source informs that one among these three will get the ticket if Bhattarai pulls out.
CPN-Maoist Centre
At the Maoist camp, the names of Prachanda’s daughter Renu Dahal and Sarvottam Dangol are being discussed. Dahal was the closest rival of NC’s Prakash Man Singh in Kathmandu Constituency 1 in the 2013 CA polls. She was the only Maoist candidate who made it to the second position in the 2013 polls. Prachanda himself was restricted to the humiliating third place in Kathmandu Constituency 10.
Dangol had represented the party in the All-Party Mechanism, but was booked once. Party insiders claim Dahal can garner more votes than Dangol. Therefore, the party has been trying to field Dahal and Umesh Sthapit as candidates for mayor and deputy mayor respectively. The former UML leader Sthapit had was the Chairperson of KMC Ward Number 24.
RPP
Rajaram Shrestha is being considered for the mayoral candidate in RPP. He was elected the Mayor of KMC in the polls held by the former King Gyanendra Shah-led government in 2002.
