KATHMANDU: Ram Krishna Bhattarai, the proposed ambassador to Sri Lanka, has officially withdrawn his candidacy ahead of an expected rejection from the Parliamentary Hearing Committee.
Bhattarai’s decision to step back from the appointment came just hours before the committee was set to convene on Tuesday at 3 PM to discuss his qualifications.
According to the Federal Parliament Secretariat, Bhattarai submitted a formal request to the committee, citing personal reasons and a busy schedule as his motivation for withdrawing.
This move follows mounting pressure after Bhattarai was unable to produce the required graduation-level certificate, a minimum qualification for ambassadorship, as stipulated by the committee.
The issue first surfaced on Monday during a meeting at Singh Darbar, where the committee, with only 8 out of 15 members present, could not secure the two-thirds majority needed to reject Bhattarai’s nomination.
As a result, the session was postponed to Tuesday to allow further deliberation.
The committee had previously granted Bhattarai until Monday to submit the missing educational document, but he failed to do so.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee, Ishwari Devi Neupane, expressed disappointment over the government’s recommendation of a candidate who did not meet basic requirements.
With Bhattarai’s withdrawal, the committee’s scheduled meeting on Tuesday is expected to officially accept his request and close the matter.
This development comes as Bhattarai neared the 45-day mark since his nomination was announced.
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