The candidacy of Resham Chaudhary, a candidate of the Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal, has been rejected in Kailali Constituency No. 1. Chaudhary, who is also the party’s patron, had filed his nomination to contest the House of Representatives election under the first-past-the-post electoral system.
According to the decision issued by the election officer, Chaudhary’s nomination could not be upheld under prevailing law. The ruling states that his candidacy did not meet the legal requirements set out for the election of a House of Representatives member and was therefore rejected in accordance with the law.
Chaudhary was previously convicted in connection with the Tikapur incident and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although he later received a presidential pardon on the recommendation of the government, the House of Representatives Election Act bars individuals sentenced to life imprisonment from contesting parliamentary elections.
This is not the first time Chaudhary’s candidacy has been disqualified. During the 2022 general election, he had also filed his nomination from Bardiya–2, but it was rejected as he was in prison at the time.
Following that decision, his father, Lalbir Chaudhary, contested the election from the same constituency as an independent candidate. He later joined the Nagarik Unmukti Party and is currently associated with the party.
Despite filing his nomination this time from Kailali–1, Resham Chaudhary has once again been barred from the electoral race due to legal restrictions.
