The Election Commission (EC) has made public the voter-list for the presidential election to be held on March 9.
The names of the members of the House of Representatives, the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly who will vote in the presidential election have been unveiled by the EC.
There are a total of 884 voters for the presidential election, including 275 members from the House of Representatives, 59 from the National Assembly and 550 from the Provincial Assembly. However, the names of three voters are not included in the list published by the EC.
Rabi Lamichhane elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2, Tek Bahadur Gurung from Manang and Arun Kumar Chaudhary from Kailali-2 are not included in the voter list.
The EC has scheduled a program for registering nominations of candidates for the presidential election on February 25 from 10 am to 3 pm.
Even though there are hardly three days before registering the nomination of candidates, the parties have not finalized the candidatures.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has been trying to elect the president through the national consensus.
As the date of nomination for the presidency is inching closer, the names of 'high profile' leaders who have become prime ministers started coming into limelight one after the other.
The main contenders for the presidency are Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and CPN (UML), the main party of the ruling coalition.
A faction in the NC wants President Deuba to be ready for the presidency, while the UML is putting forward the name of Madhav Nepal, chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist).
Although a faction in the NC wants President Deuba to move forward, it is almost certain that the party will nominate senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel as the presidential candidate.
Former General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula's name is also under discussion for the presidential candidate in the NC. Similarly, the former Vice President Gopal Man Shrestha and leader Man Bahadur Bishwakarma are also aspiring for the presidency.
However, NC leaders have been saying that senior leader Poudel will be the presidential candidate from their party.
"Ram Chandra is our candidate. The President Deuba has already announced Ram Chandra Paudel as our candidate," said central member Ram Hari Khatiwada, “Ram Chandra is senior among contemporary leaders including Deuba, honest and committed to democracy.”
Ram Chandra will be the candidate from the NC, said a leader close to senior leader Shekhar Koirala.
"As soon as the name of Ram Chandra is proposed by the President, Koirala will second it," he told Nepalkhabar.
Leaders including former Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi have also been saying that there is a strong possibility that senior leader Paudel will become the presidential candidate. NC Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak, has said that one among Paudel or Sitaula will be the presidential candidate.
NC spokesperson Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat said that there is no problem within the party regarding the presidential candidate.
"We will decide on the candidate as soon as it becomes clear that we will get the support from other parties," Mahat said.
Following the dissolution of the then five-party alliance, the NC, which has shrunk as an opposition party from the center to the states (except for the Sudurpaschim Province), is making every effort to win the presidential election. In order to win the party's candidate in the presidential election, the NC is even ready to give Prime Minister Prachanda the leadership of the government for a full term.
The top leaders, including President Deuba, have formally offered him to become the Prime Minister for five years in a discussion with Prachanda in Baluwatar last Sunday evening.
"We told the Prime Minister to move forward reviving the previous alliance," a leader privy to the Baluwatar meeting told Nepalkhabar, "Help our party in the presidency. We are ready to accept you as the Prime Minister for five years.”
In response, Prime Minister Prachanda said that he was positive about the NC proposal and would give an answer after discussing it in the party, the leader said. Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel, Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka, General Secretary Gagan Thapa and former General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula were present in the Baluwatar meeting.
