KATHMANDU: A total of 85 candidates from various political parties have withdrawn their names from the closed lists submitted under the proportional representation (PR) system for the House of Representatives (HoR) election.
According to the Election Commission, candidates were allowed to withdraw their names between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The House of Representatives election is scheduled to be held on March 5.
The Commission stated that candidates whose names were included in the proportional closed lists could withdraw their candidacy either in person or through an authorized representative if they were unable to appear themselves.
Parties from which candidates withdrew their names include the Janamat Party, CPN-UML, Janata Samajwadi Party, Nepali Communist Party, Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and others. Among them, 21 candidates withdrew from the Janata Samajwadi Party, while 20 candidates withdrew from the Janamat Party.
Party officials said the withdrawals were largely due to the recent unification of the Janata Samajwadi Party and the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, which required adjustments to their closed lists. The Election Commission clarified that the final number of candidates may change when the revised lists are published.
A total of 64 political parties had submitted closed lists for the proportional representation system. The House of Representatives consists of 275 members, of whom 165 will be elected through the first-past-the-post system and 110 through the proportional representation system.
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