KATMANDU, Nov 3: More than 6,000 candidates are contesting the upcoming parliamentary and provincial assembly elections under the Proportional Representation (PR) category.
The election law has a provision to elect 110 candidates for central parliament and 220 for provincial assembly in this category. In total, 330 candidates will be elected under this category for both central parliament as well as provincial assemblies.
Under the PR electoral systems, voters cast votes for parties contesting the elections while the Election Commission (EC) elects their candidates based on the votes the party gain in the elections.
70 contesting 4 legislative seats
Altogether 49 parties are contesting for the central parliament seats in the PR category while 53 parties are contesting in this category for the provincial assembly seats, according to the EC officials.
Unveiling the details of candidates fielded under the PR electoral system, EC officials informed that 6,094 candidates are contesting under this system. Parties have given priority to their leaders and cadres in fielding PR candidates while some controversial figures have also been given priority.
Nepali Congress has fielded its leader Balkrishna Khand and his spouse Manju Khand. Corruption-convict NC leader Khum Bahadur Khadka's wife Sheela Sharma Khadka has also been named as PR candidate. NC has also included billionaire Binod Chaudhary in its PR candidate list.
Chaudhary was earlier elected a lawmaker under the PR category by UML in 2008's Constituent Assembly elections.
Eknath Dhakal, Sujita Shakya, Ram Kumari Jhankri, Nabina Lama, Mukunda Neupane, Badri Neupane and Juli Kumari Mahato among others are named as UML's PR candidates.
CPN (Maoist Center) has included controversial Lhyarkyal Lama as its PR candidate. Lama was accused of possessing multiple passports and dual citizenship and was also involved in corruption. Police had taken him in custody on charge of being involved in money laundering. Lama was also accused of involvement in free-Tibet movement in Nepal. Women leaders Satya Pahadi, Devi Khadka, Renu Chand, Onsari Gharti and Amrita Thapa among others have been fielded by Maoists as PR candidates.
According to EC Spokesperson Navaraj Dhakal, the PR list includes 783 male indigenous candidates and 931 female indigenous candidates and one indigenous person under the other category; and 876 Khas-Aryan males and 997 females. Similarly, the list also includes 158 Tharu males and 262 females; 342 Dalit males and 496 females; 455 Madhesi males and 563 females; and 81 Muslim males and 157 females.
Apart from this, 158 males and 115 females are listed in the differently-abled category and 107 males and 122 females are named as PR candidates from the backward community.
The name list of the candidates fielded under the PR electoral system has been uploaded on EC's official website. General public are urged to register complaints if they have any grievances against the candidates included in the PR list.
