CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and 10 Other Officials Set to Miss Parliament After Direct Election Defeats

Kathmandu. CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and 10 other office bearers who contested the direct elections for the House of Representatives election - 2082 are certain to remain outside the parliament for the next five-year term. Out of the 19 office bearers of the CPN-UML, 11, including Chairman KP Sharma Oli, contested the direct elections.

Chairman Oli contested from Jhapa-5, Vice-Chairpersons Bishnu Paudel from Rupandehi-2, Prithvi Subba Gurung from Lamjung, and Gokul Bista from Gulmi-2. General Secretary Shankar Pokharel contested from Dang-2, Deputy General Secretaries Raghubir Mahaseth from Dhanusha-4, and Lekhraj Bhatta from Kailali-4. Secretaries Mahesh Basnet contested from Bhaktapur-2, Sherdhan Rai from Bhojpur, Rajan Bhattarai from Kathmandu-4, and Bhanubhakta Dhakal from Tehrathum.

Vice-Chairperson Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal is on the proportional representation list, and another Vice-Chairperson, Raghuji Pant, did not contest any election. Secretary Padma Aryal is on the proportional representation list, Yamalal Kandel is the Chief Minister of Karnali, while Chhabilal Bishwakarma and Khagaraj Adhikari did not contest the elections. Another Secretary, Hikmat Karki, did not contest as he is the Chief Minister of Koshi.

Among the office bearers who contested the direct elections, Chairman KP Sharma Oli is certain to be defeated in Jhapa-5, trailing by a large margin against RSP's senior leader Balen Shah.

The election results from Rupandehi-5, where Vice-Chairperson Bishnu Paudel contested, have already been announced. Paudel has been defeated by RSP's Sulabh Kharel. The final result from Gulmi-2, where Gokul Bista contested, has also been made public. Bista was defeated by RSP's Govinda Panthi. The final result from Lamjung, where Vice-Chairperson Prithvi Subba Gurung contested, has not been announced yet, but Gurung is trailing significantly there, making his chances of winning slim.

General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has been defeated by RSP's Bipin Acharya in Dang-2. Although counting is ongoing in Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta's constituency Kailali-4, he is also trailing significantly. The possibility of him taking the lead, based on the votes counted so far, has diminished. Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai did not contest this time. However, another Deputy General Secretary Raghubir Mahaseth, despite contesting in Dhanusha-4, has been defeated by RSP's Rajkishor Mahato.

Secretary Rajan Bhattarai from Kathmandu-4, Mahesh Basnet from Bhaktapur-2, and Bhanubhakta Dhakal from Tehrathum have been defeated. The counting of votes in Bhojpur district, where Secretary Sherdhan Rai contested, is ongoing. The possibility of Rai, a former Chief Minister, being elected appears weak. In Bhojpur, the competition seems to be between Hark Rai-led Shramasanskriti and Ajambar Rai Kangmang of the Nepali Communist Party. As of the time this news was prepared, UML's Sherdhan is trailing by a margin of 1,000 votes.

If Rai also fails to get elected, it is certain that the 11 office bearers of the CPN-UML who contested the direct elections will remain outside the parliament for the next five-year term. While Secretary Dhakal was defeated by the Congress candidate in Tehrathum, most other office bearers were defeated by RSP candidates.