Acharya elected CC chairman

(Updated)



KATHMANDU, Aug 28: After nearly a three-month vacuum, the Constitutional Committee (CC) of the Constituent Assembly on Friday got its chairman. Nepali Congress´ nominated CA member Nilamber Acharya was elected to the post. CA Chairman Subas Nembang administered the oath of office and secrecy to Acharya on Friday itself. [break]



Acharya received 29 votes while his rival Unified CPN (Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha got 21 votes. Only fifty members of the 59 eligible voters of the 63-member committee cast their votes. Four members were ineligible to cast vote for the CC Chair as they had already participated in the voting for the chair of other CA committees. The CC regulations do not allow a member to cast votes for more than one chairperson of the CA committees.



Besides 18 votes of the UCPN (Maoist), Shrestha got votes from Rukmini Chaudhary of Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Mancha, Gayatri Shah of Nepali Janata Dal and Biswendra Paswan of Dalit Janajati Party.




Acharya was backed many parties supporting the government including the NC, UML, and Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (Democratic).



According to officials at CA Secretariat, only 56 members were present in the CC meeting. Tarai Madhes Democratic Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) boycotted the election. Independent CA member Sadarul Miya Haq abstained the voting.



Officials said four members -- Upendra Yadav of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum, Pari Thapa of CPN (United), Malbar Singh Thapa of Rastriya Janamukti Party and Sunil Prajapati of Nepal Workers´ and Peasants´ Party -- also abstained the voting.



The post of CC chair was vacant since May 23 after then chair Madhav Kumar Nepal was elected prime minister.



The committee meeting began at 11 a.m. -- three hours later than the slated time -- as top leaders of NC, UML and the Maoists made last ditch efforts to arrive at a consensus on the post.




After he was sworn in, Acharya said the election was held in a democratic spirit and it would not invite enmity among the parties. "I am a chairman of all parties. I will always try my level best to forge consensus," he said.



He expressed confidence that the constitution will be drafted on the slated time of May 28, 2010, if all parties extended cooperation. "I will dedicate my whole time to accomplish the assigned task of the committee," he added.



In his brief reaction to media persons, Maoist candidate Shrestha alleged that other parties tried to isolate the Maoists. He said his party will intensify pre-announced protests to thwart ´conspiracies´ against the Maoists.



Shrestha said his party would extend support to Acharya if the latter played positive role in drafting the constitution as per the aspiration of the people.



TMDP, RPP-N boycott



Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) boycotted the election held to pick the CC chair.



The TMDP boycotted the election to protest the arrest and subsequent ´beating up´ of arrested Madhesi activists from Supreme Court premises on Friday.



TMDP alleged that the activists arrested and beaten up severely as they were staging peaceful demonstration against the apex court´s verdict against Vice President Parmananda Jha in the controversy over the language of his oath. TMDP CA members Mahantha Thakur, Hridayesh Tripathi and Babban Singh walked out of the meeting after receiving the news of the arrests.



Likewise, RPP-N member Chandra Bahadur Gurung boycotted the election saying that the election would derail the ongoing peace process and also lead parties to confrontation.



koshraj@myrepublica.com