By Our Reporter  What will be the position of the largest and now main opposition party in the parliament, CPN-UML, after the November 20 elections if the ruling five-party alliance contests the election jointly? This has been one of the dominant political issues these days. Although many UML leaders and the blind supporters of party chairman KP Oli have been making an unfounded claim that their party will win majority seats in the upcoming polls, those who have been in close contact with their voters have feared their political fate after the elections. Obviously, if the ruling five parties forged an electoral alliance and contest the elections without deceiving the party candidates, the CPN-UML may not win even 15 seats under the first-past-the-post electoral system. It is because NC and UML had garnered almost equal votes in the proportional electoral system in the 2017 elections to the House of Representatives, which means their popularity was equal although under FPTP NC won only 23 seats and the UML 80 seats. Now when the CPN-Maoist Centre and the CPN (Unified Socialist) the breakaway faction of the UML, stand together, the UML candidates will be left far behind in the majority of constituencies. A survey said to be conducted by some online media a few weeks back predicted that the UML could win only nine seats under the FPTP election system. The survey was based on the votes the parties received in the 2017 general elections and the recent local polls. The UML may not win any seat in the Tarai where the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal has its strong presence, mostly in Madhes and Lumbini Province. Therefore, the UML candidates will be winning elections in Jhapa and Morang of Province 1 and the hill districts. Even in the Kathmandu Valley, the party may win only one seat. When the UML will be winning fewer seats under the FPTP system, it will be losing seats also in the proportional election system because the votes it received in the 2017 polls under the PR category will be divided between the UML and CPN (Unified Socialist). If the CPN (Unified Socialist) garnered only 500,000 votes under PR, the UML will be winning only 20 to 22 seats under the PR system. As such, the UML will have 37 maximum in the House of Representatives, which means it will be the third largest party after the NC and Maoist Centre. Moreover, the CPN (Unified Socialist) could win more seats than the UML under FPTP category, and its size could be almost equal to UML in the parliament. More septuagenarian leaders in poll race At a time when the slogan of ‘No, Not Again’ is slowly gaining popularity among the voters, the political parties are preparing to field the same old faces, most of them in their 70s, in the upcoming elections to the federal parliament and provincial assemblies. Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress will probably be the oldest leader to contest the upcoming elections. At the age of 79, he is preparing to contest the elections from Tanahun-1, where he lost the 2017 elections. Prime Minister and NC president Deuba is 77, and he is contesting the elections from Dadeldhura with the hope of becoming the Prime Minister for the record sixth time. Gopal Man Shrestha, Dr Shekhar Koirala, Arjun Narasingh KC, Keshav Kumar Budathoki and many other NC leaders who are in their 70s will also be contesting the polls. Likewise, KP Oli and Subash Nembang of UML, Jhalanath Khanal of CPN (Unified Socialist) Bam Dev Gautam, Mahantha Thakur and many others, who are 70 years or more old will also be contesting the poll. Fortunately, CPN Maoist Centre chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and other leaders like Dr Baburam Bhattarai have not reached 70 by one or two years. Considering the catchy slogan of ‘No, Not Again’ and the crowd of candidates aged above 70 years, it seems many of the oldies may face defeat. Anyway, the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives could be a race among septuagenarians.