NA by-polls: Know the candidates of Gandaki Province

POKHARA, Jan 7: The ruling alliance and the main opposition party, CPN-UML is to face off for three vacant posts in the National Assembly in the upcoming by-election.

The ruling alliance comprises the Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and Rastriya Janamorcha Party.

The tenure of NA members Dinanath Sharma and Khim Bahadur BK, elected from Maoist Center, and Shanti Kumari Pariyar, elected from  CPN (US) are due to end this month.

Representing the ruling alliance, Maoist Center has fielded two candidates and the NC has fielded one candidate for the vacant posts.

Candidates

1) Suresh Ale Magar (Maoist Center) 

2) Bhuvan Sunar ( Maoist Center)

3) Kamala Panta (Nepali Congress)

4) Punya Poudel (UML)

5) Arjun Sonam (UML)

6) Lila Pokharel Thaten (UML)

What is the status of votes?

Even though the CPN (UML) has a strong hold as a political party in Gandaki Province, the decision of the ruling alliance to contest in the NA by-polls joining their hands has made the main opposition party look weak.

CPN-UML, which possesses 27 seats in the provincial assembly, has altogether 1,296 votes. Likewise, the NC with 15 seats has 720 votes and the Maoist Center with 12 seats has 576  votes. Similarly, the JSP and Rastriya Janamorcha Party has 96 votes each.

Likewise, in the local level, the NC with 86 people’s representatives has 1,498 votes, Maoist Center with 12 representatives has 216 votes and Rastriya Janamorcha Party with three representatives has 54 votes.

Moreover, the CPN-UML with 70 people’s representatives at the local level has 1,260 votes.