Leaders said they are positive about the proposal, which was floated at the party´s ongoing Standing Committee meeting.“The proposal is under discussion. We will soon take a decision and finalize candidates within a few days,” UML Secretary Bishnu Paudel told Republica. [break]
The leaders discussed the idea even as the party had set no such criteria for selection of candidates.UML Spokesperson Pradeep Gyawali said UML leaders who won in 2008 polls had managed to win despite the party´s adversities at the time. “This fact might have guided the leaders into giving priority to candidates who won or secured the second highest votes,” said Gyawali.
Gyawali, who won election from his home district Gulmi in the previous CA election, said the idea of fielding experienced leaders in the new CA is wise as the major job of new CA will be to complete the unfinished task of constitution writing.
In the last CA election, the UML had won 34 seats under the first-past-the-post electoral system while its candidates secured second highest votes in over 90 constituencies.
The party had last month instructed its area, district and zonal committees to suggest three alternative candidates for each constituency. The standing committee has been selecting candidates mostly from among the names recommended by local committees.
Some of those who won elections under the first-past-the-post electoral system in the previous polls haven´t been recommended by any of the local committees.
According to leaders at the party head office, the former CA members who haven´t been recommended from their respective home districts include Bisham Lal Danuwar, Dal Bahadur Rana Magar, Kiran Gurung and Bhanubhakta Jaishi, among others.
Secretary Paudel said the selection process will most likely conclude in the next two days. “We have finalized candidates for most of the constituencies. We will announce the final list for both FPTP and proportional seats within the next two to three days,” he said.
According to a party leader, altogether 750 candidates have been proposed from across the country. The party needs to finalize 240 candidates under FPTP and 335 candidates for PR seats. According to leaders, over 4,000 names have been proposed by party bodies and various other sectors across the country.
As per the calendar of events published by the Election Commission, the parties have to submit the list of candidates for PR seats by September 30 and FPTP candidates by October 3.
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