Pokhara, Jan. 20: Contrary to expectations, Ramhari Joshi has again joined the fray, along with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the incumbent Party President and Sher Bahadur Deuba, former Prime Minister and CWC member, for the party president of Nepali Congress.
It might be mentioned that Joshi had also stood for the party presidency in the party’s 9th General Convention in Kathmandu five years ago and had lost miserably. He had received only one vote.
According to Upendra Keshari Neupane, a member of the Election Committee, when the deadline for filing nomination ended at 5:30 P.M. today, there were 3 candidates for party presidency and 90 for the CWC. The number of aspirants joining the election bandwagon has far exceeded all previous expectations and the guess works.
Sujata Koirala was the first candidate to file her name and Mahendra Raya Tiwari filed his candidacy at the last minute. The Election Committee’s office saw a big rush with aspirants or their representatives practically jostling with each other.
With the start of the process for election, the whole atmosphere of the NC’s General Convention has been enlivened.
Practically, all the candidates have brought out pamphlets and appeals on why ‘they should be elected to the party’s highest decision-making body’. Several of them have even opened their contact offices. More than the over canvassing, it is the undercurrent which is most obvious and evident.
According to the Election Committee, the deadline for withdrawing names is 8:00 A.M. tomorrow morning.
The party spokesman said the final list of the candidate will probably be published by tomorrow afternoon. The election will be + held on Monday from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and the election results could be disclosed by late afternoon of the same day.
There will be about 1879 voters and each voter can choose upto 18 CWC members and one party president. The voting for the party president and the CWC members will be held simultaneously.
With the election result out the convention will be formally over. Meanwhile, party spokesman Acharya said there will be no mass meeting to conclude the convention.
For Party President
For CWC members
Sujata Koirala, Omkar Shrestha, Sukra Raj Sharma, Dr. Ramsharan Mahat, Arjun Narsing K.C., Sukra Raj Samyok ‘Limbu,’ Govinda Raj Joshi, Chakra Prasad Bastola, Damodar Gautam, Gopal Man Shrestha, Mahantha Thakur, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Baldev Sharma Majgainya, Surendra Chaudhary, Dhundi Raj Shastri, Sunil Bhandari, Taranath Ranabhat, Rajendra Kharel, Prakash Koirala, Manmohan Bhattarai, Mahesh Acharya, Surya Prasad Regmi, Basanta Gurung, Ananda Prasad Dhungana, Jit Tshering Lama, Lila Koirala, Bal Bahadur K.C., Bipin, Koirala, Rishikesh Gautam, Chiranjibi Wagle, Bimalendra Nidhi, Bhubhawani Bikram Nembang, Mayadevi Shrestha, Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Ms. Ambika Basnet, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Ramchandra Tiwari, Prakash Man Singh, Ramchandra Pokharel, Chandra Bhandari, Krishna Lal Sapkota, Adhitya Raj Gyanwali, N.P. Saud, Krishna Kumar Joshi, Ramchandra Poudel, Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta, Ramkrishna Tamrakar, Pushkar Nath Ojha, Formullah Monsoor, Shesh Nath Adhikary, Pradeep Giri, Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, Dr. Prakashsharan Mahat, Shiva Kumar Khadka, Sushil Koirala, Binay Dhoj Chand, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Padma Narayan Chaudhary, Bhim Bahadur Tamang, Amar Raj Kaini, Krishna Kishore Sharma Ghimire, Surya Bhakta Adhikary, Narahari Acharya, Bhakta Bahadur Shahi, Deepak Prakash Banskota, Ramesh Rijal, Arjun Jung Bahadur Shahi, Gopal Narayan Bhattachan, Kamal Chitrakar, Bal Bahadur Rai, Maheshwore Prasad Singh, Hom Nath Dahal, Laxmi Narayan Neupane, Uddhav Dhakal, Siddha Raj Ojha, Ang Gyalzen Sherpa, Bhagwat Gyanwali, Dr. Ram Prasad Gyanwali, Rabindra Lal Shretha, Trilokya Pratap Sen, Ms. Shailaja Acharya, Bidur Prasad Poudel, Bishnu Prasad Sharma, Meena Pandey, Durga Keshar Khanal, Ramesh Dayal Yadav, Rudra Prasad Shah, Mangal Prasad Gupta and Mahendra Raya Tiwari.