Nepal Prez poll run-off tomorrow
With the Presidential poll run-off set for tomorrow after the two main Indian-origin candidates failed to garner clear majority.
By PTI |
KATHMANDU: With the Presidential poll run-off set for tomorrow after the two main Indian-origin candidates failed to garner clear majority, Nepal's major parties were today engaged in cajoling fringe groups to vote for them in the historic ballot for the coveted post.
Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Ram Baran Yadav, an ethnic Madhesi leader who was widely expected to win yesterday's Presidential poll in the 594-member Constituent Assembly, fell short of 15 votes to attain the magic figure of 298 required to get elected as the head of the state in place of the ousted King Gyanendra.
Yadav, who was backed by the CPN-UML and the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF), polled 12 votes more than Maoist candidate Ram Raja Prasad Singh, who was earlier perceived as the front-runner.
"As per the Interim Constitution, none of the candidates bagged a clear majority to win, so I have fixed 8 am Monday for a run-off poll between the two top candidates," CA chair Kul Bahadur Gurung said at a meeting of the House held immediately after the vote count was completed.
Both Nepali Congress and Maoists were busy wooing smaller parties today to secure the backing for their respective presidential candidates.
Nepali Congress leader Gopal Man Shrestha said that his party and CPN-UML have started discussions with smaller parties to get their support for Yadav.
"We will mobilise smaller parties on Monday to ensure victory for Nepali Congress candidate Ram Baran Yadav," said Tirtha Ram Dangol, another NC leader.
Out of total 578 votes polled yesterday, 25 had become invalid, he said. Sixteen CA members, including those from Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, which is close to former King Gyanendra, did not take part in the poll.
Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Ram Baran Yadav, an ethnic Madhesi leader who was widely expected to win yesterday's Presidential poll in the 594-member Constituent Assembly, fell short of 15 votes to attain the magic figure of 298 required to get elected as the head of the state in place of the ousted King Gyanendra.
Yadav, who was backed by the CPN-UML and the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF), polled 12 votes more than Maoist candidate Ram Raja Prasad Singh, who was earlier perceived as the front-runner.
"As per the Interim Constitution, none of the candidates bagged a clear majority to win, so I have fixed 8 am Monday for a run-off poll between the two top candidates," CA chair Kul Bahadur Gurung said at a meeting of the House held immediately after the vote count was completed.
Both Nepali Congress and Maoists were busy wooing smaller parties today to secure the backing for their respective presidential candidates.
Nepali Congress leader Gopal Man Shrestha said that his party and CPN-UML have started discussions with smaller parties to get their support for Yadav.
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"We will mobilise smaller parties on Monday to ensure victory for Nepali Congress candidate Ram Baran Yadav," said Tirtha Ram Dangol, another NC leader.
Out of total 578 votes polled yesterday, 25 had become invalid, he said. Sixteen CA members, including those from Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, which is close to former King Gyanendra, did not take part in the poll.
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