Shekhar Koirala Secretariat Says Congress Ticket Distribution Process Unclear

The secretariat of Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala has said it is unaware of the criteria, venue, or process being used by the party to distribute tickets for the House of Representatives election.

In a statement issued by Koirala’s secretariat, it was said, “Leaders from across the country are lining up seeking party tickets, but there is still no information on where, how, and under what criteria the tickets are being distributed.”

The secretariat also stated that reports claiming party president Gagan Thapa and leader Koirala are moving forward together are not true. At a gathering held by Koirala in Battisputali on Sunday, leader Sunil Sharma had claimed that an agreement had already been reached for Gagan Thapa and Shekhar Koirala to move ahead jointly.

However, the secretariat said, “As far as reports suggesting that Shekhar Koirala and Gagan Thapa are moving forward together are concerned, there is no truth to them. To date, no member of the central committee formed through the special general convention has contacted or held discussions with Koirala through any channel.”

The Nepali Congress has begun distributing election tickets through a parliamentary board comprising party office-bearers. Meanwhile, prior to the ticket distribution, leaders from the establishment faction held discussions on Sunday and Monday with former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and leaders close to Koirala.