KATHMANDU: Candidates from both the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) are trying to win the support of former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai in the Gorkha-2 constituency in the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5.
Dr Bhattarai, the patron of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), withdrew his candidates from Gorkha-2 on January 23, stating that it would be more appropriate for him to support political parties outside parliament and remain in a guardian role rather than participating in parliamentary elections.
Since Dr Bhattarai is popular in the constituency, parties are trying to win his support in the election. In the 20217 elections, he defeated Naraya Kaji Shrestha of CPN (Maoist Center) by nearly 7,000 votes.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) General Secretary Dr Kabindra Buralkoti, who is contesting in Gorkha-2, has claimed that Bhattarai withdrew his candidacy following consultations within his party to support emerging political forces.
Talking to Himal Press, Buralkoti said he held several rounds of dialogue with Bhattarai before the latter decided to step aside. According to Buralkoti, Bhattarai has also publicly stated that he withdrew his candidacy to open space for new political forces and expressed support for newly emerged parties, including the RSP.
“In the context of Gorkha, Dr Bhattarai and leaders of the PDP have been supporting us,” Buralkoti said, adding that some formal decisions and announcements could be made public in the coming days.
Nepali Congress (NC) candidate in Gorkha-2, Prakash Chandra Dawadi, on the other hand, has said that the former Prime Minister maintains goodwill and positive intentions toward his party. In an interview with Himal Press, Dawadi said Dr Bhattarai understands the spirit of past electoral cooperation between the NC and Bhattarai-led forces. He expressed confidence that Bhattarai would not ignore that longstanding political goodwill.
“Dr Bhattarai has said he has goodwill toward us and that he will do what is appropriate from his side,” Dawai said. He expressed confidence that Bhattarai would not ignore that long-standing political goodwill.
NC had supported Maoist Center Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is now coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), in the 2022 House of Representatives elections. Dr Bhattarai had vacated his seat to Dahal in the election.
