The meeting has been postponed indefinitely after two days of not being able to finalize the names.
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There has been a controversy in Arghakhanchi regarding the recommendation of names of direct and proportional candidates for the House of Representatives elections to be held on 21 Falgun. The Congress District Working Committee met in Sandhikharka on Thursday and Friday to submit the names.
The meeting on Friday failed to decide on the names after the youth group warned that they would launch a phased movement against the district working committee if it did not recommend the names of only one candidate each for the direct, proportional and National Assembly elections to be held on 21 Magh 2082. The meeting has since been postponed indefinitely.
Former Minister Revati Prasad Bhusal, Lumbini Province Joint General Secretary Bishnu Muskan, Dr. Ram Bahadur BC, Dr. Mukti Ram Shrestha, Dr. Jay Bahadur Tandon, former President Kamal Prasad Bhusal, District President Keshav Shrestha, Lekhnath Pokharel, and Vice President Baburam Poudel are aspiring for direct elections in Arghakhanchi, which has only one constituency.
Congress central member and former Deputy Speaker Pushpa Bhusal Gautam has opted for proportional representation after withdrawing from the direct elections. Despite receiving the support of a five-party alliance, she was defeated by UML's Top Bahadur Rayamajhi in 2079. Candidates including Lalita Sunar and Nirmala Chhetri are seen as aspirants from Dalits. Congress provincial members Shanta Bhandari and Ram Bahadur BC are aspirants in the National Assembly. Even though the aspirants tried to convince the youth and district leaders, no agreement could be reached.
Tarun Dal District President and Ward President of Sandhikharka Municipality-12 Narayan Khadka, Province Assembly (2) Congress Vice President Arjun Pokharel and 22 members of the Congress Youth Group from various fraternal organizations had signed a letter of attention to the District Working Committee and surrounded the party office for two days.
Arjun said that the candidates who have been candidates since 2051 BS should be dismissed without being recommended again, that direct, proportional and single names should be recommended in the National Assembly, and that the candidates currently being recommended should not be allowed to stand for any position in the upcoming party convention or other elections. ‘I have spoken representing the youth,’ he said in the Congress meeting, ‘We should bid farewell to the old leaders and send new faces. If the demands of the youth are not addressed, we will protest.’
In Thursday’s meeting, District President Keshav Shrestha was pressured to send a single name directly to the members of the House of Representatives. However, in Friday’s meeting, he said that it would not be possible to win the election by bypassing others and there could be no consensus on Shrestha’s name. Shrestha argues that he does not want to be recommended as a single candidate, nor should he recommend others, and that all leaders should be taken to all places together. He also said that he is in discussions to take them together.
‘Addressing the demands of the youth, we will hold another meeting and recommend the names of candidates while respecting the senior leaders,’ said Congress District Secretary Krishna Prasad Khanal, ‘We will recommend the name of General Secretary Gagan Thapa as the first one.’ After that, we will send others, we will try to arrange everyone.'
He said that the two-day meeting could not select a candidate due to the opposition of many aspirants and youth. The center has asked to recommend the names of two men and one woman directly for the House of Representatives. 'The center has demanded to recommend the names of three people according to the democratic system,' said Deputy Speaker Baburam Poudel.
