KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 25Nepali Congress leader Ramchandra Paudel, 78, and CPN- UML leader Subas Chandra Nembang, 70, have filed their candidacies for president. Dahal claims NC, CPN-UML keen on eliciting his support CPN (UML) lawmaker Devraj Ghimire elected HoR Speaker The presidential election is scheduled for March 9. According to Assistant Polling Officer Amrita Kumari Sharma, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (Unified Socialist) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal, Senior vice-chair of CPN-MC Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal leader Ashok Rai, and Janamat Party leader Abdul Khan proposed Paudel's candidacy.

Loktantrik Samajwadi Party-Nepal leader Mahantha Thakur, NC Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka, Nagarik Unmukti Party Chair Ranjita Shrestha, Rastriya Janamorcha leader Chitra Bahadur KC, and CPN-Maoist Centre Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey seconded Paudel's candidacy.UML Chair KP Sharma Oli, party leaders Prithvi Subba Gurung, Gokarnaraj Bista, Raghuvir Mahaseth and Chhabi Lal Bishwakarma proposed Nembang's candidacy.

Similarly, UML leaders Yogesh Bhattarai, Top Bahadur Raymajhi, Juli Kumari Mahato, Dil Kumari Rawal Thapa and Aman Kumar Maskey seconded Nembang's candidacy.The president and vice-president are elected through an electoral college consisting of federal lawmakers and members of provincial assemblies whose vote weightage is different.Earlier today, the NC had held its party meeting and decided to unanimously choose Ramchandra Paudel as the party's candidate for president.Paudel comes from Tanahun district.A meeting of the CPN-UML secretariat Nembang took the decision to field as its presidential candidate.

Nembang hails from Ilam district.Chances of Paudel getting elected are high as the eight party alliance that commands enough votes support him.Paudel is the common candidate of eight parties, including Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led CPN-Maoist Centre and Madahv Kuamr Nepal-led CPN (Unified Socialist).Both Paudel and Nembang are former speakers.CPN-UML leader Prithvi Subba Gurung told mediapersons after the party's Secretariat meeting that they would write to all political parties except the Nepali Congress, which had fielded its candidate for president, seeking their support to elect UML candidate Nembang.He said his party would not withdraw from the Dahal-led government.

When asked to comment on the new eight-parties' alliance, Gurung said, "Is this an alliance? There was no agreement between them." He said there were chances that politics could take an unexpected turn by the time the presidential election was held.A version of this article appears in the print on February 26, 2023, of The Himalayan Times. .

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