KATHMANDU, June 24: The first general convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has been pushed off track after delays in the publication of the preliminary candidate list disrupted the election schedule.
Although the timetable had set Tuesday 10:00 PM for the release of the preliminary list, the process remained incomplete even by Wednesday morning, with verification still underway.
As per the original schedule, nominations for the chairperson were to be filed between 7:00 PM and 7:30 PM, followed by central committee nominations from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. The preliminary list was to be published at 10:00 PM, with a 30-minute window for complaints and objections.
RSP seeks explanation from General Secretary Dhakal
Chief Election Commissioner Bhuwan KC said the schedule slipped due to an unexpectedly high number of candidates, forcing officials to continue verification work through the night. The election secretariat said the candidate list will be made public shortly.
RSP chairperson Rabi Lamichhane has filed a single candidacy for the top post and is expected to be elected unopposed, although an official announcement is yet to be made. Meanwhile, more than 400 candidates are competing for 99 central committee seats, underscoring intense internal competition.
Under the party statute, 99 of the 158 central committee members will be elected, while 51 are nominated by the party chairperson, and seven provincial presidents serve as ex-officio members.
Around 4,300 representatives are taking part in the convention, which was originally scheduled to conclude yesterday but has now been extended due to delays in the representative and nomination processes.
According to Chief Election Commissioner KC, the convention is likely to continue until tomorrow.
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