NC finalizes candidates for second phase polls

KATHMANDU, Nov 2: Nepali Congress (NC) has finalized its candidates for the second phase of elections scheduled for December 7.

The second polls are being conducted in 128 constituencies of House of Representatives and 256 constituencies of State Assemblies in 45 districts. The nomination for the December 7 polls is underway.

NC parliamentary board meeting held till late night on Wednesday prepared the final list of candidates.

Nepali Congress has allocated five constituencies for Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Democratic). According to the final list, Kamal Thapa-led RPP will get Dailekh, Makwanpur constituency-1 and Kathmandu constituency-7 while Pashupati Shumsher JB Rana-led RPP (Democratic) will get Chitwan constituency-3 and Rupendahi constituency-3. Nepali Congress will support RPP and RPP (D) in the constituencies allocated to them and will not organize any election publicity campaign, said the coordinator of NC publicity committee Bal Krishna Khand.

Likewise, Prime Minister and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba will file candidacy for House of Representatives election from Dadeldhura constituency-1, Ram Chandra Poudel from Tanahu constituency-1, Dr Sashank Koirala Nawalparasi-1, Prakashman Singh Kathmandu-1, Krishna Prasad Sitaula Jhapa-3 and Bimalendra Nidhi Dhanusha-3.

NC, in the final hours, has decided to run former House Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana from Bhaktapur constituency-2. Dhungana will be challenged by CPN-UML’s youth leader Mahesh Basnet, who also has support from party’s poll partner CPN (Maoist Center). Dhungana had quit politics after he was defeated by UML’s Bidya Devi Bhandari (current President of Nepal) in 1994 mid-term parliamentary election.

The candidacy nomination for the first phase of polls (37 House of Representatives constituencies and 74 State Assembly constituencies in the 32 districts) was held on October 22.