By Our Reporter
The National Assembly election is being held on Thursday, January 25 in all seven provinces.
Altogether, 51 candidates from eight political parties are in the fray for the 19 seats in the Upper House of the Federal Parliament.
Although the term of 20 of the 59 members of the NA elected for the first time in 2018 after the formation of the new NA expires this March, 19 of them will be elected on January 25 and one will be nominated by the President.
Candidates from the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party and Janamat Party Nepal are contesting the election.
While the seven ruling parties have forged an electoral alliance by dividing 19 seats among them, the CPN-UML, RPP and NMKP are contesting the election alone. However, just three days before the poll, the CPN-UML and the RPP decided to forge an alliance in Koshi on Monday.
Among seven provinces, Bagmati has the largest number of candidates at 15 followed by Gandaki with eight candidates. Likewise, six candidates each are contesting elections in Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim and five each in Koshi and Madhes.
As the ruling parties have fielded common candidates, all of their candidates will surely be elected in six of the seven provinces as the ruling parties enjoy a comfortable majority in these provinces. Even the division of votes makes no difference for the candidates of the ruling parties in the six provinces.
But in Koshi, from where Krishna Sitaula of NC is contesting the election as a common candidate of the ruling parties, the victory of the candidate from the ruling parties has become uncertain, especially after the CPN-UML and RPP forged an electoral alliance. If the NC faction led by Dr. Shekhar Koirala does not cooperate or if the Provincial Assembly members and chiefs and deputy chiefs of local levels close to him do not cast votes to Sitaual, and if any cross-voting occurs as in 2022, Sitaula can suffer a defeat. Even two years ago, UML candidate Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa was elected from Koshi by defeating Hem Raj Rai of Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, the common candidate of the ruling alliance. Then the UML had forged an electoral alliance with the RPP.
If Sitaula loses the election, it will end not only his political career but also come as a big setback for Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who has a plan to make Sitaula NA chair and fill up the void in his camp created by the imprisonment of Bal Krishna Khand in the fake Bhutanese Refugee scam.
It is noteworthy to mention here that the faction led by Dr. Shekhar Koirala made a rebellion in Koshi when Deuba forwarded Uddhav Thapa, a leader close to Sitaula, as Chief Ministerial candidate last year, and managed to make Kedar Karki’s new CM in the support of the UML. And if the eight Provincial Assembly Members who backed Kedar Karki voted against Sitauala or stayed neutral, Sitaula may suffer a defeat.
Of course, it is Sitaula who has stolen the limelight of the NA election this time. He is the only heavyweight candidate in the NA this time, and his nomination has also been dragged into controversy because he opted to reach the parliament despite losing the election to the House of Representatives two years ago in Jhapa.
While the NA election is mostly centred around Sitaual, after the NA poll, the UML, which has been the largest party in the Upper House for six years will become third third-largest party with eight lawmakers, and the Maoist Centre will emerge as the largest party. NC will be the second biggest party.
The UML will also lose the post of NA chairman because the term of the present NA chairman Ganesh Prasad Timalsina is expiring in March. Even President Ramchandra Paudel has not appointed the General Secretary of Parliament as recommended by the Speaker and NA Chair, as they picked pro-UML candidate Padma Prasad Pandey for the crucial position, probably at the instruction of CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli.
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