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Kathmandu, Dec 9: The Nepali Congress (NC) has begun the push to finalize candidates for the March 5 general election. As instructed by the Central Working Committee, local and district bodies are rushing to send names for both direct and proportional seats in the House of Representatives, along with recommendations for one third of National Assembly members to be elected on January 25.

Lower committees must submit their lists to district offices by Tuesday. Districts will then forward the names to provincial committees by December 11. Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Paudel alerted all provincial, district, constituency, and assembly units on December 1, which set the selection process in motion. Party leaders even reached the Supreme Court on Sunday to press for the reinstatement of the dissolved House while local units continued drafting their candidate lists.

The party statute allows up to three names for direct seats, including at least one woman, and up to two names for proportional seats. A ten-point guideline has also been circulated to help lower bodies make their picks. In earlier polls, the central office often received long lists when local committees failed to reach consensus. Party insiders say the delays and disputes that stretched the recent CWC meeting for 48 days are still shaping decisions at the grassroots.

Factional interests are expected to complicate the process further. Some leaders have also questioned the circular for proportional seats, saying it may clash with the constitutional mandate for broad inclusion under Article 84(2). Single-constituency districts received clear instructions on how many names to submit, but districts with multiple constituencies were not given detailed guidance.

Article 84(2) requires parties to ensure representation of women, Dalits, indigenous groups, Madhesis, Tharus, Muslims, Khas Arya, people from backward regions, and persons with disabilities when submitting their proportional lists.

People’s News Monitoring Service