Election Momentum Builds with Candidate Nominations Set for Today

The election fervor has intensified as the Election Commission has fixed the date for nomination of candidates for the House of Representatives election for today, January 20.

Political parties are in the final stages of selecting candidates and have already launched campaigns for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5. The Election Commission said it has completed all preparations for nomination registration at 88 offices of chief election officers and 88 offices of election officers across the country.

According to EC’s Deputy Spokesperson Kul Bahadur GC, all necessary materials have been delivered to the offices of all 165 election officers to verify whether candidates’ names are included in the voter list.

For candidates contesting under the first-past-the-post electoral system, the Election Commission has made it mandatory to submit a copy of the citizenship certificate or voter ID card, along with proof that the candidates’ names appear in the final voter list of any local level, said Commission Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai.

Candidates can file their nominations from 10 am to 5 pm on January 20 at all 165 election offices. The preliminary list of candidates will be published between 5 pm and 7 pm.

The Commission has fixed the time from 10 am to 3 pm on January 21 for filing complaints against nominated candidates. Verification of nominations and complaints will take place from 3 pm the same day till 5 pm on January 22, followed by publication of the revised candidate list from 5 pm to 7 pm.

Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations on January 23 from 10 am to 1 pm. The final list of candidates will be published between 1 pm and 3 pm, and election symbols will be allocated from 4 pm to 7 pm the same day.

Meanwhile, the divided Nepali Congress has intensified its candidate selection process. The party has already dispatched nomination tickets signed by newly-elected NC President Gagan Thapa, particularly to remote districts in Karnali and Sudurpaschim. Party leaders said candidate selection in other areas is expected to be finalised by Tuesday morning.

UML Will Contest Elections Under Any Circumstances: Oli

Chairperson of the CPN-UML and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli said his party, which believes in democracy, will participate in elections under any circumstances.

Speaking to journalists at Chandragadhi Airport in Jhapa on Monday, Oli stressed that the election must be conducted in a peaceful, fearless, and fair manner. He arrived in Jhapa to register his candidacy from Constituency No. 5.

Oli visited his home district for the first time since resigning as prime minister following the Gen Z movement in early September.

Two Federal Ministers Resign

Two federal ministers resigned on Monday. Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel and Minister for Youth and Sports Bablu Gupta stepped down from their posts to contest the election

In his resignation letter submitted to Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Kharel said he resigned to prevent any impact on the government’s independent identity before entering party politics. He is expected to contest the election from Lalitpur Constituency No. 2 under the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

Earlier, Youth and Sports Minister Gupta had also resigned. He has announced his candidacy from Siraha Constituency No. 1 representing Rastriya Swatantra Party.

Provinces Must Be Strengthened: Balen Shah

Senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Balendra Shah (Balen), said provinces must be made stronger to reduce excessive dependence on Kathmandu.

Addressing a party assembly in Janakpur on Monday, Shah said many people ask about the party’s stance on federalism. “My clear answer is that provinces must be strengthened,” he said.

He questioned why local leaders still need to travel to Kathmandu for administrative decisions, even when Janakpur is a provincial capital. “If it is a provincial capital, why should we go to Kathmandu for everything?” he asked.

Shah said Kathmandu should be visited for religious tourism, not to demand rights. “People should go to Kathmandu only to visit Pashupatinath or Swayambhu, not to seek authority,” he added.

Shah, who was elected mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in the last local elections, resigned from the post on Sunday. A few days earlier, his group had merged with the Rastriya Swatantra Party.