The highest number of aspirants are seen in Morang-3. The names of 16 people, including former MP Bhanubhakta Dhakal, have been recommended from here.
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As the upcoming House of Representatives elections on Falgun 21 are approaching, it has become difficult for the UML to select candidates for all six constituencies in Morang due to internal competition. As the regional committees have not been able to directly recommend a single candidate, the burden of the final decision has shifted to the central leadership via the districts and provinces.
Although a total of 43 names were recommended from all 6 constituencies, the inability to reach a consensus in any constituency is seen as a sign of pressure from aspirants and balance of power within the party. In some constituencies, the name of one person has been recommended in three constituencies, while in some others, up to 16 aspirants have been included.
Party Chairman KP Sharma Oli and influential leader Binod Dhakal from other groups have been recommended from constituencies 1, 4 and 6. However, in the backdrop of UML winning only one of the six constituencies in Morang in the last election, the pressure to find a safe candidate seems to have increased this time.
Especially in Morang-2, despite winning in the previous election, the failure of the regional committee to decide on a single name this time indicates that the internal equation is not yet clear.
From Morang Constituency No. 1, the names of Koshi Province Committee Chairman Ghanshyam Khatiwada, Binod Dhakal, Shanti Limbu, Yogesh Basnet, Dilliram Adhikari and Bhupal Jimmy have been recommended. Although 15 people showed their aspirations, the regional committee has put forward only 6 names.
Even in Morang-2, which had the only victory in the last election, a single candidate could not be decided. Outgoing MP Hrishikesh Pokharel, Rangeli Municipality Mayor Dilip Agarwal and former National Assembly member Nainkala Ojha have been recommended from here.
The most aspirants have been seen in Morang-3. From here, 16 names have been recommended, including Vasudev Thapa, Vijay Dangi, Sujay Gautam, Prakash Rai, Kishore Rai, Provincial MP Gyanendra Subedi, Sundarharaicha Municipality Mayor Kedar Prasad Guragain, Iran Rai, Surendra Bahadur Thapa, Madhu Gurung, Dhanmaya Tamang, Birendra Shrestha, Mohan Prasad Neupane, Rabin Thapa and former MP Bhanubhakta Dhakal.
Central members Jeevan Ghimire, Binod Dhakal, Narendra Basnet, Baburam Karki, Mahesh Bhattarai, Mukesh Budhathoki, Manoj Bikram Shah, Mrityunjay Jha and Meena Chaudhary have been recommended from Morang-4.
The names of Uddhav Pokharel, Birendra Yadav, Meena Yadav, Mazhar Alam, Dilsad Alam and Manoj Tiwari have been put forward from Morang-5. Six names, including a former MP, have been recommended from Morang-6. Former MPs Lalbabu Pandit, Parshuram Basnet, Satyanarayan Chaudhary, Bhuraj Rai, Yashoda Adhikari and Rita Neupane have been recommended from Morang-6.
From a regional perspective, the fact that former MPs, current MPs, provincial MPs, city mayors and central members are competing in the same area has also brought to the surface the debate on leadership succession and experience within the party.
The names recommended by the regional committee will now reach the district committee, provincial and finally central committee. Since the final decision will be made by the central leadership, it is expected that the selection of candidates for Morang will now be based on political balance and winning potential rather than organizational factors.
Managing internal competition and maintaining electoral unity has become the biggest challenge for the party in Morang, said a leader from UML Koshi Province.
