Four Former Prime Ministers Contest House Elections; Deuba Opts Out

Four former prime ministers are contesting the election to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5, with nominations being filed across all 165 constituencies under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system.

CPN (UML) Chairperson and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has filed his candidacy from Jhapa constituency-5. Similarly, coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is preparing to contest from Rukum (East) constituency-1, while NCP joint-coordinator and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is set to file his candidacy from Rautahat constituency-1. Former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, patron of the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party, is contesting from Gorkha constituency-2.

In the 2079 BS election, Oli was elected from Jhapa-5, Dahal from Gorkha-2, and Nepal from Rautahat-1. Dr Bhattarai had not contested then and had supported Dahal in Gorkha-2.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress former President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had been continuously elected from Dadeldhura since 2048 BS, is not in the race this time. He has stayed out of the election following circumstances that emerged after the party’s special general convention.The filing of nominations today marks a key step toward the March 5 parliamentary elections.