UML finalizes candidates for 19 seats

KATHMANDU: CPN-UML has finalized its candidates for the National Assembly election scheduled for January 25.

According to General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, the meeting of the party’s Secretariat Committee held on Sunday morning finalized the candidates.

The Election Commission is conducting a vote for 19 out of the 20 seats that will become vacant on March 4. President Ram Chandra Poudel will make an appointment to the remaining one post on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.

The ruling coalition has agreed to field common candidates for the 19 seats, and they have already shared the seats among themselves. As per the understanding reached among leaders of the ruling coalition on Sunday, Nepali Congress will field its candidates in 10 seats, Maoist Center in six seats, CPN (Unified Socialist) in three seats, and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) in one seat.

List of candidates with clusters

Koshi Province: Rukmini Koirlala of Sunsari (Women), Parshuram Adhikari of Bhopur (Others)

Madhesh: Ushadevi Tharuni of Parsa (Women), Dr. Arjun Kumar Singh Rajput of Mahottari (Others)

Bagmati: Rochak Kumar Chaulagain of Dolakha (Women), Trilochan Sharma Poudel of Chitwan (Others), Bibek Devkota of Kathmandu (Disabled/Minority), and Dhruba Raj Bishwkarma of Dhading (Dalit)

Gandaki: Samjhana Devkota of Gorkha (Women), Chakdra Bahadur Parajuli of Syangjha (Others), Hemandra Sherchan of Mustang (Disability/Minority)

Lumbini: Tulasa Kumari KC of Dang (Women), Jhapendra Bahadur Gharti Chhetri of Palpa (Others)

Karnali: Bimala Kumar Shahi of Humla (Women), Dilli Prasad Bhatta of Mugu (Others), Hikmat BK of Dailekh (Dalit)

Sudurpashchim: Sabitradevi Ghimire of Kailali (Women), Ishwari Prasad Kharel of Kanchanpur (Others), and Ram Chandra Joshi of Kailali (Disability/Minority)