Three candidacies likely to register from ruling coalition for vice president

Kathmandu, March 11: Participants in the ruling coalition's meeting here today discussed and decided on candidacy for Vice-President.     

The election for Vice-President is taking place on March 17 for which nomination paper is being filed today.     

The meeting held at the official residence of the Prime Minister in Baluwatar decided to file a nomination of three candidates from the ruling coalition for the post, said Janamat Party's CK Raut.     

Mamata Jha of Janamat Party would be in the fray while Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal has decided to field both female and male candidates, informed Raut.     

The Election Commission of Nepal has directed the registration of the nomination paper of candidates of different gender and community than that of the President for the upcoming Vice-President election.     

Raut added, "We have agreed to register the nomination of three candidates and pick one candidate by tomorrow through a consensus. The coalition has decided to register candidacy for three candidates today."     

He further said the ruling alliance parties, however, have agreed to make Jha the female candidate for the Vice-Presidential post as per the constitutional provision that the vice-president should be female if President is male.     

Earlier, the coalition had decided to field the candidacy of Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal leader Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav for the Vice-President.     

Since the Election Commission instructed that the Vice-President should be female following the election of Ram Chandra Poudel as the President on March 9, the coalition reconsidered the candidacy and decided to nominate female candidates for the second highest post in the country.     

Present in the meeting were Prime Minister and CPN (Moist Centre) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairperson Madhav Kumar Nepal and former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai among other top leaders of the ruling coalition. (RSS)