Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leader Pashupati Shamsher Rana has said that he has no wish to contest the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) elections.
His recommendations for Kathmandu-1 and Sindhupalchowk-2 constituencies have been forwarded to the party’s head office by the respective district committees.
However, Rana has said he will not contest from Kathmandu-1. “I am not well known in that constituency. I have no intention of contesting from there. I don’t know who has done what,” he said.
Rana has also told those close to him that he plans to retire from active politics. “He has already said that he will not contest the election and that younger leaders should be fielded. He will not be a candidate under either the direct or proportional representation system,” Rana’s personal secretary, Prakash Katuwal, told Himal Press.
When asked why Rana was recommended despite having said he would not contest, RPP Sindhupalchok-2 Chairperson Kumari Tamang claimed that he had expressed interest in running. “If he does not contest, that is fine—I will become the candidate,” she said.
Rana represented Sindhupalchok in parliament from 1994 to 1997. He entered the lower house again in 2022 through the proportional representation system.
The RPP has already decided not to include leaders who have served one term under the proportional system in the proportional candidate list again.
