Elections 2022
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will contest election from Dadeldhura. CPN-Maoist Centre leader Prachanda moved to Gorkha from Chitwan, following a dramatic political development. And CPN-UML leader KP Oli returned to his home constituency in Jhapa.
The CPN-US leader Madhav Kumar Nepal returned to his home constituency in southern Nepal. Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa chose Kathmandu-4 yet again. Rastriya Janamorcha leader Chitra Bahadur returned to Baglung.
Former journalist Rabindra Mishra returned to Kathmandu-1 where he lost the last election to Nepali Congress leader Prakash Man Singh. Mishra and Singh are on the same battleground yet again.
And former TV show host Rabi Lamichhane, with a remarkable fan following, has chosen Chitwan-2.
On a day Dashain festivities – one of the country’s biggest - officially concluded, Nepal officially switched into election mode. And fully so. The Election Commission Nepal said in a statement that nomination registration of nearly 5,000 candidates completed peacefully in all 165 election constituencies.
Their fate will be decided by nearly 18 million Nepali voters on November 20, when they will elect new members of the federal House of Representatives and seven provincial assemblies.
Here are some of the highlights of the nomination filing day:
Pime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, also chief of the Nepali Congress, registered his candidacy for the House of Representatives from Dadeldhura. His spouse Arju Rana Deuba registered his nomination at the office of chief returning officer, Dadeldhura.
CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda registered his candidacy from Gorkha-2. He was accompanied by former prime minister and Nepal Socialist Party Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, who backed his candidacy following a yet-undisclosed understanding between the two. Prachanda's candidacy was seconded by CPN (Maoist Centre) senior vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
See video put out on Prachanda's Facebook page.
Baburam Bhattarai and his spouse Hishila Yami are not contesting, but their daughter Manushi Yami will be contesting from Kathmandu-7.
CPN (UML) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli registered his candidacy from the Jhapa-5. The former prime minister reached Jhapa on Saturday. UML's local leaders Romnath Oli and Ambika Khanal proposed Oli's nomination, which was backed by Gita Adhikari and Deepak Karki.
Finance Minister Janardhan Sharma has filed his nomination for the election to the House of Representatives from Rukum West.
CPN (Maoist Centre) leader and Minister for Energy Pampha Bhusal has filed her candidacy from Lalitpur-3.
Chairperson of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Rajendra Lingden has registered his candidacy from Jhapa–3. He was backed by RPP student leader Madhav Pokharel, and seconded by the CPN (UML) leader Laxman Pathak. The RPP has forged an electoral alliance with the UML in Jhapa district.
RPP-Nepal leader Kamal Thapa has filed his candidacy from Makawanpur, where CPN-UML has supported his candidacy. But that caused anger among UML workers there, who went on to padlock their party office to protest against their party leader's move to back Thapa.
Former prime minister and leader of CPN (Unified Socialist), Jhalanath Khanal, has filed his candidacy from Ilam-1. Dipak Poudel registered his nomination on his behalf. of leader Khanal. In the same constituency, district chairperson of CPN UML Mahesh Basnet filed his candidacy. Khanal has one more contender, an independent candidate, Bikram Pande.
Chairperson of the CPN (Unified Socialist) and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has registered his candidacy from Rautahat-1. He was backed by Shambhu Saha and seconded by communist leader Bhikhari Prasad Yadav.
Another CPN-US leader Ram Kumari Jhankri has filed her candidacy from Gulmi.
Actress turned politician Rekha Thapa has returned to her home town in Morang-3.
In Kathmandu 5, CPN-UML Ishwor Pokharel has filed his candidacy. He is being challenged among others by an independent candidate Ranju Darshana.
In Lalitpur, another independent candidate Toshima Karki, a medical doctor, is expected to heat up the electoral battle ground.
In Rupandehi, Ghanashyam Bhusal, a former CPN-UML leader, is contesting as an independent candidate but with the backing of the ruling alliance - much to the chagrin of UML stalwarts who earlier disqualified him as a potential candidate.
JSP leader Upendra Yadav has filed his candidacy from Saptari. The list of candidates is long with over 2,100 vying for House seats and over 2,800 eyeing provincial seats.
November 20 elections is expected to see a tough battle between candidates representing the parties in the ruling coalition – of Nepali Congress, CPN-MC, CPN-US, Rastriya Janamorcha; and the just-emerged opposition coalition of CPN-UML, RPP, Nepali Congress BP and JSP.
