By Our Reporter
Altogether 51 candidates from eight political parties are contesting the election for 19 vacant seats of the National Assembly on January 25.
Of the 52 nominations filed on Monday last week, Niarnajn Kumar Thapa of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party from Lumbini withdrew his candidacy.
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 Janmat Party Nepal are in the fray.
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.
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. Even a candidate of the ruling Janamat Party is in the fray in Madhes although the ruling parties did not allow any seat to this party.
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 six provinces. But in Koshi, such a division of votes could affect the results as the UML is stronger in Koshi than in other provinces. Even two years ago, a UML candidate was elected from Koshi by defeating a candidate of the ruling alliance. However, then the UML had forged an electoral alliance with the RPP.
But this time, the UML is contesting the election all alone without forging any alliance, and its candidate may not be elected from Koshi.
Although UML sought six of the 19 seats of the NA with the ruling parties so as to give an outlet to the contentious Transitional Justice Bill, ruling parties did not forge such an alliance because of the objection from CPN (Unified Socialist).
As such, it is most likely that the UML will not one even a single seat this time. Eight of the 20 lawmakers whose term is expiring in March are from the CPN-UML.
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