Progressive Democratic Party Left Without Direct Candidates in Gorkha, Plans Consultations with Voters

Pokhara. The Progressive Democratic Party (PrLoPa) is without direct candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives election in Gorkha. Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, who filed his candidacy citing pressure from cadres, and Gopal Babu Shrestha, the candidate for Constituency No. 1, have withdrawn their candidacies, stating they will support a national force.

PrLoPa has not yet decided whom to support. In the meantime, the PrLoPa Gorkha chapter has decided to visit voters' homes regarding proportional representation candidates. With the entire party lacking direct candidates, various speculations are circulating about who they will back.

In this context, Ratopati correspondent Prakash Dhakal spoke with Yanprasad Bhatta, the district in-charge of PrLoPa. Below is the edited excerpt of the conversation with Bhatta:

Since there are no direct candidates in Gorkha, will you go to ask for votes? How will you proceed now?

We held a district meeting and decided to go to both constituencies to ask for votes for the proportional representation candidates and move forward by forming an election mobilization committee. Given the absence of direct candidates, we have also formed a dialogue committee for political discussions.

This is not a major executive committee, but it was formed for political dialogue because the agenda came up in the meeting.

A party claiming to be an alternative force is without direct candidates in both Gorkha constituencies. Who should those who wish well for your party vote for?

This is an accident for us. This situation arose due to a lack of a little caution and prudence. As the district leadership, I have apologized to the public and the party ranks for this. Although we have been running the campaign to build an alternative force for a long time, this is the result of our failure to strengthen it.

It is true that we do not have our own direct candidates, but we have not yet made a decision to support any specific party at this exact moment. Other parties cannot be accepted as an alternative force capable of addressing the current problem. Therefore, rather than making a hasty decision, we have concluded that we will move forward only after serious discussions with the district comrades and voters.

In that case, how long will the voters have to wait for your decision?

They will have to wait for some time. As the election date approaches, the atmosphere will intensify. Then we will reach a decision. There is no situation right now where we must support someone or remain neutral. New developments are constantly emerging. We will make the appropriate decision at the appropriate time.

You don't have direct candidates but are asking for votes for proportional representation. If people ask whom to vote for in the direct elections when you go to ask for votes, what will you answer?

Yes, this question will arise. We will discuss it with the voters themselves. We will seek their opinions on who can work for the overall interest of Gorkha district. We will also turn this visit into a suggestion collection campaign. It would not be democratic if we made a decision only behind closed doors. We will make a collective decision only after understanding the feelings of the grassroots cadres and voters and centralizing their advice and suggestions. Otherwise, if the leadership's thinking and the voters' thinking do not align, another accident could happen tomorrow.

When the candidates withdrew their candidacies, did they consult with the district committee? Or did they withdraw on their own accord?

There was information and general consultation, but the spirit of the district party was that once nominations are registered, they should not be withdrawn. When the candidates themselves and the higher leadership insisted on withdrawing, we could not stop them. Let's say our desire and the candidates' decisions did not match.

In Constituency No. 2, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai withdrew his candidacy through a public statement, but why did the candidate in Constituency No. 1 withdraw?

The candidate in Constituency No. 1 has no separate argument of his own. When the main person (Baburam Bhattarai) withdrew his candidacy, he also insisted, asking what the point would be if he contested alone. Initially, he had claimed candidacy himself, but after the top leadership withdrew, he also withdrew.

Other parties are claiming that they have the support of Baburam's party. Have you given any commitment to anyone?

We have not given any commitment to anyone, nor have we made any decision. It is natural for parties to stake claims from their own perspectives, but we will publicly announce the official decision only after discussions among the three-member committee comprising District Coordinator Narayan Khatri, myself, and Pawan Raman Khanal, along with other experts, and after reaching a common understanding.