Spread the love

Kathmandu, January 24: Former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has withdrawn his candidacy after being proposed as a “future president.” Dr. Bhattarai announced through a video message on Friday that he had withdrawn his candidacy from Gorkha–2.

He withdrew after Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Vice-Chairman Swarnim Wagle, in a public message, requested Bhattarai to withdraw his candidacy and “assume guardianship of alternative politics.”

According to the RSP, Bhattarai—who had earlier won elections from Gorkha and served as prime minister and finance minister—withdrew his candidacy to support RSP General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti. Bhattarai had filed his candidacy on behalf of the Progressive Democratic Party (PraLoPa).

It has been said that although Bhattarai, who is in the top leadership of the party’s Patron Council, withdrew his candidacy, no agreement has been reached regarding other candidates of PraLoPa, including Janardan Sharma and Sudan Kirati, who had rebelled from the then Maoist Centre, and Santosh Pariyar, who had rebelled from the RSP.

It is understood that after the RSP gave Bhattarai an “assurance of the presidency,” an agreement was reached and he made the decision to withdraw on his own. During the 2079 House of Representatives election as well, he had prepared to contest on behalf of the Nepal Socialist Party, but at the last moment withdrew and left the constituency in support of then Maoist Centre chairman, former prime minister, and political ally Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda.”

This time too, Prachanda had called Bhattarai and requested him to withdraw in support of their candidate Lekhnath Neupane and to become their political guardian.

It is likely that even in this case, in the post-election political scenario in which Prachanda himself would participate, Bhattarai has been proposed for the role of president.

A source close to Prachanda said that Prachanda urged Bhattarai to provide guardianship to his politics, saying that although they may walk different paths, he would remain “decisive.”

Bhattarai also acknowledged in the video that both new and old political parties and candidates had requested him to become their guardian. He indirectly accepted that the proposal for the presidency had come under the pretext of being a “guardian.”

In his video address, Bhattarai said:
“Following proposals from new and old friends engaged in alternative political campaigns, with the possibility that I may have to take on the responsibility of being the nation’s guardian in the future, I have withdrawn my candidacy.”

In Gorkha constituency–2, Chakre Milan from the UML, Prakash Chandra Dawadi from the Nepali Congress, and RSP General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti are in the electoral race.

People’s News Monitoring Service.