KATHMANDU, May 20: The ruling CPN-UML has condemned the violation of party directive by the voters of the National Assembly by-election held on Thursday. 

Indicating at the votes cast against the UML candidate during Thursday’s by-polls by some of the party’s own lawmakers, a Standing Committee meeting of the party expressed serious concerns over the violation of the party directives. The UML voters close to the faction led by senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal reportedly voted for Dr Khimlal Devkota, who was fielded by an opposition alliance comprising the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (Maoist Center) and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP). The Nepal-led faction had also extended its support to Devkota during candidacy nominations. 

The UML, however, officially fielded Ram Bahadur Thapa for a vacant seat of the National Assembly. Thapa had opted to join the UML after the Supreme Court invalidated the erstwhile Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and resurrected the UML and Maoist Center. He was later sacked as the NA lawmaker by the Maoist party after he chose to be part of the Oli-led UML.

 
• CPN_UML
 
• by-election