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Nepali Congress has decided to register candidacy for the post of President. A meeting of the office bearers and former office bearers held at party President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s residence in Dhumbarahi on Monday decided to file candidacy by seeking support from all the parties. Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the Nepali Congress will file candidacy for the post of President. “We will register our candidacy by seeking support from all the parties. Conspiracies are being hatched to not hold the election on March 13. We will not accept it,” he said. Similarly, the Nepali Congress has demanded that the election be held on time. According to the provision, the presidential election should be held on February 12.  

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Speaker Devraj Ghimire held a meeting in Baluwatar on Monday. During the meeting, they discussed contemporary political issues, according to a source. The Prime Minister’s Secretariat said that the duo discussed various issues like making the Parliament effective and overall Parliament activities. CPN-UML candidate Ghimire was elected to the post of the Speaker of the House of Representatives on January 19 with support of the ruling parties. Out of 268 lawmakers participated in the meeting, he emerged victorious by securing 167 votes. His closest contender Ishwori Neupane of the Nepali Congress garnered 100 votes. Ghimire was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Jhapa-2. He has resigned from the party after being elected as the Speaker.  

Nepali Congress and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party have registered applications at the Parliament Secretariat demanding a main opposition party. The Congress filed the application at the federal Parliament Secretariat demanding facilities that the main opposition party got while Nepal Workers and Peasants Party lawmaker Prem Suwal submitted the application to Speaker Devraj Ghimire. The Parliament Secretariat said that the decision will be taken as per the rules and regulations. In the application, Nepali Congress proclaimed itself a main opposition party. The Nepali Congress has 89 lawmakers in the Parliament. Among them, lawmaker Tek Bahadur Gurung is suspended. An official at the Parliament Secretariat said that the Nepali Congress filed the application demanding that it be provided with facilities that the main opposition party got. The debate on whether Nepali Congress should be considered as the ruling party or the opposition started surfacing after the party gave a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on January 10. Experts have been saying that the Nepali Congress should not be considered as the opposition party. The Congress lawmakers presented themselves as the main opposition when they took part in the Parliament meeting. The Nepal Workers Peasants Party has also submitted an application to the Speaker demanding that the party be announced as the main opposition party. Out of 270 lawmakers present in the Parliament meeting on January 10, 268 gave a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Maoist Center Chairman Dahal also got votes from the Nepali Congress, CPN (Unified Socialist) and Democratic Socialist Party which are not part of the ruling coalition. Nepal Workers Peasants Party lawmaker Prem Suwal and Rastriya Janamorcha Party Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC only voted against him.  

Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala has said that the party made a mistake by giving a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. During a meeting held at Anup Foodland in Battisputali on Sunday, Koirala said that though they had said during the party’s executive committee meeting that the vote of confidence should not be given to the Prime Minister, it was endorsed by majority. “We had said during the party’s executive committee meeting that the vote of confidence should not be given to the Prime Minister. We said that Nepali Congress should play the role of opposition. But, we were compelled to give the vote after the majority took the decision,” a leader, who attended the meeting, said quoting Koirala. Though Prime Minister Dahal is positive towards the Nepali Congress, the ruling coalition parties are not positive towards the Nepali Congress, Koirala said. That is why, the issue of giving the President to the Nepali Congress is no longer in PM Dahal’s hand. Koirala said that now the issue of giving a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Dahal will be discussed in the Central Committee meeting scheduled for January 29.