UML fields Badal for NA by-polls, opposition alliance Dr Devkota

KATHMANDU, May 7: The ruling CPN-UML has fielded Home Minister and party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ for the upcoming by-elections for a vacant seat in the National Assembly. 

An informal meeting of UML’s Standing Committee on Thursday picked him as the candidate for the seat in the upper house from Bagmati Province. 

The EC is holding by-polls to elect legislators in a vacant seat in the upper house of parliament that fell vacant after the former lawmaker Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’, who was elected from the CPN (Maoist Center),  was suspended as the member of parliament after he joined the ruling CPN-UML.

Opposition alliance including the Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center) and ruling UML’s Nepal-Khanal faction has fielded Dr Khimlal Devkota. 

Minister Thapa will contest election on UML’s symbol’ while Devkota will be contesting on the election symbol of Maoist party. 

Thapa and Devkota reached Bagmati Province capital, Hetauda on Thursday and registered their candidacy. 

The by-polls have been slated for May 20. The members of the province assembly and the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of rural municipalities, mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities will cast their votes. A total of 348 voters, including 110 province assembly members and 238 chiefs and deputy chiefs of local levels are eligible to vote in the by-polls in Bagmati Province.