Prachanda files nomination for PM post,election today

The UCPN-M chief Prachanda proposed himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate ignoring voices of dissent.

Leaders of three major political parties the Unifed Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (UCPN-M),Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) filed their nomination for the Prime Ministers post on Tuesday. The election is slated to take place on Wednesday.

The UCPN-M chief Prachanda proposed himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate ignoring voices of dissent such as those of vice-president Baburam Bhattarai. Prachanda said there was a strong chance he would win.

Along with Prachanda,Jhalnath Khanal chairman and parliamentary party leader of the CPN-UML and Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress filed their nominations. The presence of three candidates in Wednesdays race suggests that no candidate may get the required 301 mimimum support in the House which has a strength of 601.

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The names of candidates were mentioned even as internal squabbling divided parties,especially the CPN-UML. Khanal will pull out of the race if he fails to furnish signatures of at least 401 members constituting two third majority of the House in his favour, party leader Pradip Gyawali said. In fact,he was allowed to file his nomination as he claimed that UCPN-M and other parties also may support him, Gyawali added.

The UCPN-M is the single largest party in Parliament with 236 members followed by 114 of the Nepali Congress. The CPN-UML has 108 members. The Madhesh parties together have an informal front with 82 members. The Madhesh parties did not field any candidate,but said that they might side with the party that emerges as the winner.

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