Candidates Nominated for House of Representatives Election in Kalikot

Surkhet. Four individuals from Raskot Municipality in Kalikot have become direct candidates for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5. According to the Office of the Chief Election Officer, three candidates each from Naraharinath Rural Municipality, Pachaljharna Rural Municipality, and Khandachakra Municipality have also entered the electoral race.

The candidates from Raskot Municipality include Nagendra Shahi ‘National’, Prakash Neupane of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Dharmaraj Neupane of the Progressive Democratic Party, and independent candidate Man Bahadur Tiruwa. From Pachaljharna Rural Municipality, Harsha Bahadur Bam of the Nepali Congress, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi of the Nepali Communist Party, and Premsingh Tiruwa of the Deshbhakta Samaj Party have filed their nominations.

From Khandachakra Municipality, Nepali Congress leader Bhupendra Jung Shahi, Surya Bahadur Shahi of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and Ajay Bahadur Giri of the Rastriya Janamorcha have become candidates. Residents of Naraharinath Rural Municipality who have filed nominations include Khadka Bahadur Bishwakarma ‘Prakanda’, spokesperson for the NCP (Maoist), along with Jiban Bahadur Budha and Jasmine Bista, who filed independent candidacies as rebels from the Nepali Communist Party. Additionally, Nandabahadur Shahi is a resident of Shubhakalika.

The House of Representatives election in Kalikot is becoming increasingly interesting. Locals say it is difficult to predict the election results due to Prakanda's return to the electoral scene after nearly two decades, as well as the dissatisfaction seen within the Nepali Congress and the Nepali Communist Party.

New faces are challenging Prakanda, who last contested in Kalikot in 2064 B.S, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, who is contesting for the fourth consecutive time, and Bhupendra Jung Shahi and Nagendra Shahi, both of whom have contested previous elections. 

Although Kalikot was previously considered a stronghold of the then CPN (Maoist Center), it is estimated that the results of this election will differ from the past.