A Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the party on Thursday recommended Bhattarai´s name to the Election Commission, endorsing a decision made earlier by the party´s Parliamentary Board meeting in line with Article 8 (2) of Election to Members of the Constituent Assembly Act (2007). [break]
The CA seat is lying vacant after the death of Koirala, who was elected under Proportional Electoral System.
The Act stipulates that if any CA seat under the proportional system falls vacant due to death, resignation, defection or any other reason, the person recommended by the CWC of the political party concerned from the closed list of candidates submitted before the CA election shall be elected CA member.
Earlier in the morning, a meeting of party´s Parliamentary Board held at the residence of party´s acting president Sushil Koirala had recommended Bhattarai´s name.
Top three leaders -- Koirala, Sher Bahadur Deuba and KB Gurung -- had forwarded the names of their respective choice. While Koirala proposed Raghu Nath Poudel, Ram Chandra Pokharel and Dilip Sapkota, senior leader Deuba had floated the names of Manamohan Bhattarai and Dhruva Wagle. Likewise, KB Gurung had proposed the name of Sunil Bhandari in the meeting.
The board arrived at a consensus on Bhattarai´s name after Poudel and Prakash Man Singh supported him. Eventually, Koirala also supported Bhattarai´s name for the CA seat.
Meanwhile, the CWC meeting formed a three-member Election Committee under the chair of Radhe Shyam Adhikari for the party´s 12the General Convention scheduled for August 26 to 30 in Kathmandu. Two other members of the Committee include Prakash Raut and Gopal Krishna Ghimire, according to NC Spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC.
Amidst reports of irregularities in various districts in distribution of active memberships, the meeting also decided to issue fresh memberships on the basis of membership forms signed by district committee presidents of the both establishment faction and then Sher Bahadur Deuba-led faction.
The membership distribution row has surfaced in eight districts -- Dhanusha, Okhaldhunga, Sankhuwasabha, Ramechhap, Nuwakot, Parvat, Bara and Kailali. The CWC also decided to send central representatives to the districts to settle the row.
It also decided to ask the government to extend the term of the CA. The meeting also concluded that presidential rule is not a desirable option.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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