Three candidates have filed nominations for election in the seat of National Assembly vacant after expulsion of Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa by CPN (Maoist Center).
Minister Thapa has filed nominations on behalf of ruling CPN-UML. Leftist leader Khim Lal Devkota is the joint candidate of major opposition parties but has decided to contest as an independent candidate while Krishna Bahadur Tamang has been fielded by Nepal Workers and Peasants Party.
Devkota, a lawyer by training, said he has demanded pen as the election symbol as he earns his living wielding a pen.
Thapa flew to Hetauda on a chopper to file nomination after UML, that Thapa had joined to invite expulsion, decided to field him as candidate just hours before the deadline to file nominations for the election to be held in Bagmati province was to expire at four Friday afternoon.
A meeting of UML at Baluwatar Friday morning took decision to field Thapa, who had insisted to not contest if victory were not guaranteed, as its candidate.
Opposition parties including Nepali Congress (NC) and Maoist Center have jointly fielded leader Devkota. The Yadav-Bhattarai faction of Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) has also pledged to support Devkota while the Khanal-Nepal faction of UML is expected to support Devkota.
Provincial assembly members and chiefs and deputy chiefs of local bodies are voters in the National Assembly election.
