KATHMANDU, March 4: Ahead of tomorrow’s House of Representatives (HoR) election, several leaders of major political parties will be unable to cast their votes for themselves, according to the election rules. Their permanent voter registration is in a different constituency from where they are contesting, preventing them from voting in their own race.
CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli, contesting from Jhapa–5, is registered as a voter in Suryabinayak Municipality–2, Bhaktapur, and therefore cannot vote in his constituency.
Some leaders to miss vote, others to be unable to vote for them...
Similarly, Nepali Communist Party Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal is contesting from Rukum East but is registered in Chitwan, while Nepali Congress (NC) President Gagan Kumar Thapa, contesting from Sarlahi–4, is registered in Kathmandu–4.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane, a candidate in Chitwan–2, is registered in Kathmandu–3, and senior party leader Balendra Sah, contesting from Jhapa–5, is also unable to vote for himself. Other leaders, including Rabindra Mishra and Dr Swarnim Wagle, face the same restriction.
The situation arises because voters can only cast ballots in the constituency where they are registered, regardless of where they stand as candidates.
