Rastriya Prajatantra Party Candidate Withdraws Candidacy in Rupandehi Due to Residency Rules

Butwal. Karvika Thapa, the candidate from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) who filed her candidacy for the House of Representatives seat from Rupandehi Constituency No. 2, has withdrawn her candidacy. In a press release issued today, she announced the decision to withdraw from the electoral competition due to legal provisions.

According to Article 291 of the Constitution of Nepal, one can only contest an election after three months have passed since renouncing permanent residency (PR/Green Card) in a foreign country. Thapa, who obtained the PR card while studying abroad, clarified that she had to withdraw her candidacy because the three-month period after renouncing the card had not yet been completed. She also mentioned in the statement that she has not acquired citizenship of any country other than Nepal.

Karvika is the daughter of RPP leader and former Home Minister Niranjan Thapa. With her withdrawal, the main contest in this constituency is now expected to be between Bishnu Prasad Paudel of CPN-UML, Chunnu Prasad Paudel of the Nepali Congress, Sulabh Kharel of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Bishwadip Pandey of the CPN.