Top Leaders, Including Potential PM Candidates, Barred From Voting for Themselves in House of Representatives Election

Kathmandu. Due to contesting elections outside their registered constituencies for the House of Representatives election on Falgun 21, top leaders of major parties and two dozen candidates will be unable to cast their own votes. Leaders projected as future Prime Ministers in this election, including CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa, RSP senior leader Balen Shah, and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', will not be able to vote for themselves.

The top leaders are in a situation where they must forgo the opportunity to vote for themselves because they filed their candidacies outside the constituency where their voter registration lies.

Besides Oli, Thapa, Shah, and Prachanda, who are being put forward as future Prime Ministers, RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane will also not be able to vote in his constituency. Similarly, JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, leaders Pradip Paudel, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, RPP Vice Chairman Rabindra Mishra, CPN-UML Secretary Bhanubhakta Dhakal, and Nepali Congress leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala will also be unable to vote for themselves.

CPN-UML Chairman Oli and Balen are candidates from Jhapa-5. Nepali Congress President Thapa is a candidate from Sarlahi-5. All three leaders are being put forward as future Prime Ministers. Former Prime Minister Prachanda, who has stated he could become Prime Minister again if given the chance, is contesting the election from Rukum East. Oli's voter registration is in Bhaktapur-2, while Balen's is in Kathmandu-2. Similarly, Gagan's is in Kathmandu-4, and Prachanda's voter registration is in Chitwan-3.

RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane will also not be able to vote for himself. Lamichhane, a candidate from Chitwan-2, has his registration in Kathmandu-3.

JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav is also in a situation where he cannot vote for himself. Yadav, a candidate in Saptari-3, has his voter registration in Morang-1.

CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha is contesting from Sarlahi-3, while his voter registration is in Gorkha-2. Nepali Congress General Secretary Pradip Paudel's registration is in Tanahun-2. Paudel is a candidate from Kathmandu-5. Furthermore, RSP Vice Chairman Swarnim Wagle is a candidate from Tanahun-1.

His voter registration is in Gorkha-1. Similarly, RPP Vice Chairman Rabindra Mishra, who became a candidate from Kathmandu-1, has his voter registration in Lalitpur. CPN-UML Secretary Bhanubhakta Dhakal, whose voter registration is in Morang-3, will also not be able to vote for himself. He is a candidate from Tehrathum.

Likewise, Nepali Congress candidate Dr. Shekhar Koirala from Morang-6, Minendra Rijal who is a candidate from Morang-2, Mahalaxmi Upadhyaya (Dina), Juli Mahato who is a CPN-UML candidate from Dhanusha-3, Basudev Ghimire from Rupandehi-3, Pramod Yadav who filed candidacy from Rupandehi-4, will also not be able to vote for themselves. CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Devendra Paudel, a candidate from Nawalparasi-2, Prem Ale who became a candidate from Kailali-5 from the CPN (Maoist Centre), and Yashoda Subedi who is a candidate from Manang will also not be able to vote for themselves this time.

Nepali Congress's Binod Chaudhary, a candidate from Nawalparasi-1, Shankar Bhandari who filed candidacy from Tanahun-2, and Ammar Singh Pun who became a candidate from Banke-3 will also not be able to vote for themselves.

Furthermore, Pukar Bom, Nisha Dangi, Som Sharma, Khagendra Sunar, Bhakti Prasad Sitoula, Dhanram Jaisi, Mahabir Pun, Lal Bahadur Gharti, and others will also not be able to vote for themselves this time.