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Election for Nepali Congress Parliamentary Leader
BY KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
On June 20, 2009, elections for the parliamentary leader of the Nepali Congress (NC) have been held on the premises of the State Secretariat Singhadarbar, Kathmandu. At the first round of the elections none of the four candidates such as Suprabha Ghimere, Kul Bahadur Gurung, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel has secured required percentage of votes for getting elected; however, Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel have received more votes than others. So, the second round of election has been held late evening for electing one of them. Ram Chandra Poudel received 61 votes and Sher Bahadur Deuba received 48 votes out of the total 109 votes cast.
After the announcement of the results of the elections, winner Ram Chandra Poudel has said to the reporters that he will work on the consensus politics. However, Deuba has already left; so, the reporters have no reactions of Deuba to the election result. Poudel will be successful to work on the consensus politics if the defeated candidate work for the good future of the party and won’t wait for taking revenge on the winner; however, the NC leaders have not been able to develop such democratic culture so far.
The irony is that Poudel has always been near and dear to NC President Girija Prasad Koirala. However, this time, daughter Sujata Koirala has been openly engaged in campaigning for Deuba; probably she has wanted to pay for the support Deuba has given for making her the leader of the team joining the government and for the position of the portfolio of the Foreign Minister she has received in the current Council of Ministers.
Prakash Man Singh has openly campaigned for Poudel indicating that Singh has distanced from Deuba. At one-time they have been comrade-in-arms in the NC.
We cannot say whether this election has intensified the polarization of the leaders in the NC party or not. Only the future activities of the leaders will show which direction they are going. However, Deuba’s absence at announcement of the result is the first sign of the anger at the election he has shown.
As Narahari Acharya has said this election has been the test of the voters. They are not still fully prepared for a drastic change in the party, as Suprabha Ghimere who has stood for a change has lost the election. The party that elects only a president and then the president nominates all other office bearers will not change so easily and soon.
