SOLUKHUMBU, April 24: A 72-year-old Nepali has relinquished his US Green Card to fight the upcoming local elections.
Angdami Sherpa, who had been living in the US after receiving the US Green Card six years ago, has returned to Nepal to fight the election for the post of mayor of his hometown Solu Dudhkunda Municipality, Salleri, Solukhumbu.
If Sherpa wanted, he could have easily settled in the US. However, he relinquished his US PR through the US Embassy in Kathmandu a week ago.
EC to estimate the number of parties contesting polls
He has already shouldered the responsibility of VDC chairman of Salleri from 1977 to 2002. This time, he says he has a strong desire to contest the election for the post of mayor.
Initially, he tried to win the candidacy from the main opposition CPN-UML. However, as the party has over half a dozen aspiring candidates, the party's district committee could not finalize the candidate.
He has now been referred to the party's Province 1 Committee for consideration.
“I have made important contributions to the committee. So I believe the Provincial Committee will choose me as the party's candidate,” said Sherpa, “As I spent most of my life in Nepal, why should I stay abroad during the final phase of my life? Instead of doing that, I'll become the mayor of my hometown and help in its development.”
Sherpa claimed that he does not hold any desire to earn money by becoming a mayor. “My children are well-off. I'm not fighting the election to accumulate wealth.”
Not just him, there are examples of other people who have resigned from their jobs to fight the elections. Many teachers have resigned from their posts in the district to be the candidates of various parties in the upcoming elections.
One such person is Narayan Karki, who resigned as the principal of Padma Kanya Aadharbhut School of Dudhkoshi Rural Municipality-3. The District Education Office (DEO) has already approved his resignation and he has won the candidacy from UML to fight the upcoming elections slated for May 14.
“I know this village very well. The villagers here favor intellectual people instead of those who make politics a playground. That is why I resigned 15 years before my retirement,” said Karki.
According to the DEO, three government teachers have resigned since April.
