CPN-UML has lost a seat in the National Assembly in the controversy surrounding the party’s candidate for the House of Representatives election in Rupandehi-5.
UML leader Khimlal Bhattarai filed candidacy in Rupandehi-5 after resigning as a member of the National Assembly. Another UML leader Basudev Ghimire had filed candidacy in the same constituency before Bhattarai even though the party had given the ticket to Bhattarai too.
Both their nominations were registered at the Election Office on Sunday.
UML then wrote to the Election Office stating that Ghimire’s candidacy was a mistake and Bhattarai’s nomination was valid.
However, the Election Office decided that the nomination that was registered first would be valid, thus upholding Ghimire’s candidacy. The decision means Bhattarai has now lost both the election ticket and the post of National Assembly lawmaker.
With this, the number of UML lawmakers in the National Assembly has decreased to 16. Bhattarai was the UML’s chief whip in the National Assembly and had been given facilities on par with a minister of state in that capacity.
The 59-member National Assembly now has 16 lawmakers from UML, 15 from CPN (Maoist Center), 10 from Nepali Congress, eight from CPN (Unified Socialist), three from Janata Samajwadi Party, and one from Rastriya Janamorcha. One is an independent lawmaker while three others were nominated by the president.
