CPN-UML has decided to contest for all 19 National Assembly seats in the upcoming election.
UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had proposed to the ruling coalition about alliance in the National Assembly election but the main opposition party’s secretariat meeting held at Chyasal on Friday has decided to field candidates for all 19 seats.
“We held discussion about names received from party committees. But we have yet to decide about candidates. We have decided to file candidacy for all 19 seats now,” Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Paudel said.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had recently said that Oli asked him not to blank the UML in the National Assembly.
PM Dahal said so during a meeting of four ruling parties held at Baluwatar on Wednesday afternoon. The top leaders of Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), Janata Samajwadi Party and CPN (Unified Socialist) took part in the meeting, which lasted nearly two hours.
He also sought other parties' views on including UML in the National Assembly. Briefing the meeting about his conversation with UML Chairman Oli, PM Dahal said that Oli asked him not to isolate UML in the National Assembly.
Election will be held on January 25 for 19 National Assembly seats that will be vacant from March 4, 2024.
The term of Bimala Rai Paudel, who was nominated by the then president on recommendation of the then KP Sharma Oli government, is also set to expire on March 4.
Nine of the 20 members whose term is set to expire in March are from UML including Bimala Rai Paudel nominated by the president. The National Assembly members whose term is set to expire also includes four from NC, three from CPN (Maoist Center), two from CPN (Unified Socialist), one from Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) and independent lawmaker Khim Lal Devkota.
