Jhalanath Khanal’s Decision: No Contest in Ilam-2 By-election

In a significant development ahead of the upcoming by-election in Ilam-2 constituency, senior leader of the Unified Socialist Party, Jhalnath Khanal, has announced his decision to not contest in the polls scheduled for April 27.

In an exclusive conversation with a journalist, Khanal revealed his intention to step aside and endorse a youth candidate from his party for the electoral race. He emphasized the need for younger leaders to take the forefront in political endeavors, stating, “I don’t intend to contest this time. Let the youth step forward. Our young comrades can take the lead.”

The Unified Socialist Party is expected to finalize its candidate for the by-election by Wednesday, following Khanal’s decision. Initially speculated to be a candidate from the Left Alliance, Khanal opted out of the race after the CPN-UML decided to field Suhang Nembang, the son of late Subash Nembang, who held the position of the party’s Vice Chairman.

Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party has also declared its intention to nominate a candidate for the by-election, although the specific candidate is yet to be announced.

The Ilam-2 constituency witnessed a closely contested battle in the previous election, with CPN-UML candidate Subash Nembang securing 30,020 votes, narrowly defeating Nepali Congress leader Dambar Bahadur Khadka who received 29,906 votes.

While the Nepali Congress has informally indicated its intention to nominate the district president, Dambar Khadka, for the by-election, a formal decision is yet to be made by the party.