KAILALI: The candidacy of Resham Lal Chaudhary, candidate of the Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal from Kailali-1, has been rejected by the Election Commission.
Chaudhary, who has already served a prison sentence after being convicted in a culpable homicide case, was disqualified on Thursday, the District Election Officer’s office said in a statement.
Chaudhary was the main accused in the Tikapur incident in Kailali, where clashes between Tharuhat supporters and police on September 7, 2015, left eight people dead, including Senior Superintendent of Police Laxman Neupane, five Nepal Police personnel, two Armed Police Force members, and an infant. The Supreme Court had convicted Chaudhary as the chief planner of the incident.
“The nomination of Resham Lal Chaudhary for the election to the House of Representatives could not be accepted under prevailing laws. Therefore, his candidacy has been rejected,” the District Election Officer’s office said.
The office cited Chaudhary’s life imprisonment sentence and noted that, under the House of Representatives Election Act, a person sentenced to life imprisonment is disqualified from running.
The decision also referred to a previous ruling by the Election Commission that disqualified Chaudhary from being a party member. Although Chaudhary received a partial pardon from the president on the government’s recommendation, his conviction still bars him from contesting elections.
Chaudhary had also contested the 2022 elections from Bardiya-2, where his candidacy was similarly rejected. Following this, his father, Lalbir Chaudhary, ran as an independent candidate from Bardiya-2, won the election, and later joined the Nagarik Unmukti Party.
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