Three years after defeating CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel in the parliamentary election from Dang–2, communist leader Rekha Sharma has announced that she will not contest the upcoming House of Representatives election.
Sharma, who was a candidate of the then CPN (Maoist Centre), had secured a narrow victory over Pokhrel in the previous election by a margin of 196 votes. She received 26,877 votes, while Pokhrel garnered 26,681.
In the forthcoming election, Pokhrel has once again been fielded as the UML candidate from Dang–2. Meanwhile, the Nepali Communist Party, formed through an alliance that includes Maoist forces, is almost certain to nominate Nirmal Acharya as its candidate in the constituency.
Sharma said her decision not to run was based on her previous parliamentary experience. “I have been elected twice through the proportional representation system and once through a direct election. I will not be contesting this election,” she said.
According to party sources, Sharma was also not recommended by the constituency committee for the current election cycle.
The electoral contest in Dang–2 is expected to be competitive. The Rastriya Swatantra Party has announced that its joint general secretary, Bipin Kumar Acharya, will be its candidate from the constituency.
