Kathmandu, July 19:The Nepal Constituent Assembly on Saturday failed to elect the country’s first President despite a last-minute political manoeuvring, which saw the country’s three main groups — the Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (UML) and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) — joining hands to sideline the Maoists, intensifying the three-month long deadlock.

However, Madhesi People’s Rights Forum leader Parmananda Jha was elected the country’s first Vice-President after he bagged 305 votes in the 594-member House, a partial victory for the Nepali Congress of Premier G P Koirala and UML. He defeated Shanta Shrestha of the Maoist party

The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-M) presidential nominee Ramraja Prasad Singh trailed behind Rambaran Yadav of the Nepali Congress, who was backed by the UML and the MJF.

However, Singh and Yadav will be contesting the final round of polls as both failed to secure the 298-magic mark, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the effective strength of the Constituent Assembly. The final round of polling will take place on July 21.

While Singh polled 278 votes, Yadav polled 283. The third candidate, Ramprit Paswan of the UML withdrew his nomination from the contest following his party’s decision to form an alliance against the Maoists.

The Maoists had initially said they were willing to leave out the President’s post to the Congress or the UML, they insisted that neither G P Koirala nor Madhav Nepal were acceptable to them.

The rigid stand of the Maoists apparently forced the two parties to forge an alliance with the MJF few hours before the poll began on Saturday. As per the agreement signed among the top leaders of the three parties the UML will get the Speaker’s post in lieu of its support to the Congress in the presidential poll.

The parties, however, are mum on whom they will support for the PM’s post. “This is more of a tactical silence as they do not want to be seen as sabotaging the Maoists’ claim to form the Government as the single largest party,” a Congress leader said.

The setback that the Maoists suffered in the poll is likely to have far-reaching consequences as the party is seriously considering sitting in the Opposition. “If we lost the presidential race, we might as well sit in the Opposition,” Barshaman Pun, a prominent Maoist leader and deputy commander of the Peoples Liberation Army told The Sunday Express.

Official figures

• Yadav polled 283 while Ramraja Prasad Singh polled 278

• 23 votes declared invalid

• Altogether 16 members were not present in the House for voting

• Parmananda Jha polled 305 seats

Ads By Google