KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma has announced that he will not contest the election scheduled for March 5, 2026.
Speaking at a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee held in Sanepa on Thursday, Sharma said he would not be a candidate in the upcoming election.
“I was in Jhapa yesterday and had already told friends in the constituency committee meeting to come forward and stake their claim as candidates,” Sharma said. “I had said a year ago that I would not contest. On January 5, in Dhulabari, I had clearly told those interested in contesting the next election to work hard, because I would not be a candidate.”
He also thanked the Nepali Congress committee of Jhapa Constituency No. 1 for recommending him unanimously this time, despite his decision not to run.
Sharma said that after being a candidate for three consecutive terms, he had already proposed at the constituency level to give others an opportunity. He added that he was not in favor of holding on to a constituency for life and said he had challenged the tendency of stepping aside only after losing an election.
“Having been a candidate three times in a row, I have come after proposing to promote others,” he said. “In the last election, I was limited to my constituency. This time, I will reach out nationwide. We need to go into this election with changed faces, bringing in as many young and new candidates as possible to win.”
Sharma also said that the necessary environment had not yet been created to hold the election on March 5, 2026.“For the election to take place, either the government must create the right environment, or it should be postponed to Baisakh through all-party dialogue and discussions,” he said.
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