Manang. The by-election for the House of Representatives Constituency No. 1 Provincial Assembly Constituency (2) in the Himalayan district of Manang is going to be held. The Election Commission’s meeting held on Thursday sent a letter to the District Election Office with the schedule for the by-election for the vacant post of Manang-2 Provincial Assembly member.
Acting Chief Election Officer Govinda Prasad Aryal informed that the election period began on Bhadra 13, 2082 BS, as per the schedule. He said that the by-election will be held after Rajiv Gurung (Deepak Manange), who was elected to the Provincial Assembly (2) of Manang District House of Representatives Constituency No. 1 through the first-past-the-post election system held on Mangsir 4, 2079 BS, was disqualified.
Gurung was found to be ineligible to be a candidate for six years after he had served his sentence as per Article 178 (1) (e) of the Constitution of Nepal and as per Clause (g) of Section 13 of the Provincial Assembly Member Election Act, 2074 BS. It is stated that the position of the candidate who is relieved of his/her post as per Section 16 of the Act and who is not qualified as per Article 178 of the Constitution of Nepal shall be vacant as per Clause (b) of Article 180 of the Constitution of Nepal. The Supreme Court of Justice, Constitutional Bench, ruled on 20 Asad 2082 BS that the position of the Provincial Assembly member shall be vacant as per Clause (b) of Article 180 of the Constitution of Nepal from 20 Kartik 2081 BS.
Acting Chief Election Officer Aryal informed that since it is a constitutional and legal provision under Article 176, Clause 8 of the Constitution of Nepal that if a seat of a member of the Provincial Assembly falls vacant while the term of the Provincial Assembly is more than six months, the seat shall be filled through the same electoral system through which it was filled, the date of the by-election shall be fixed. Therefore, the Election Commission meeting decided to fix the date of the election for the vacant Gandaki Province Provincial Assembly Member post in Provincial Assembly Constituency No. 2 of Manang District House of Representatives Constituency No. 1 as per Section 68 of the Provincial Assembly Member Election Act, 2074 BS, by holding the by-election on Monday, Kartik 17, as per the Act.
The District Election Office has stated that it has received information including the schedule for the by-election after the seat of the Provincial Assembly member falls vacant. In addition, the Commission has also received information that the final voter list, which will be updated and published nationwide on Bhadra 25, 2082 BS, will be used in this by-election and that the voter’s age will be fixed as Kartik 16, the date on which the voter reaches the age of 18.
In the last election, there were 6,779 total voters in the district. Out of the total voters, 4,845 or 71.47 percent votes were cast, while 4,197 voters were cast in the House of Representatives Constituency No. 1 and the Provincial Assembly Constituency (2), informed Acting Chief Election Officer Aryal. Gurung was unanimously elected as a member of the Provincial Assembly in the last election, while voting was held only for the post of member of the House of Representatives.
The office has stated that the next date for registration of nominations of candidates has been fixed for Asoj 21. Similarly, the office of the Election Officer will be established on Bhadra 20, the final list of candidates and details of distribution of symbols will be received from the office of the Election Officer on Asoj 25, and the schedule for appointment of polling officers, assistant polling officers and other employees has been fixed for Kartik 11. (RSS)