Maoists pick Ram Raja for President’s post

Maoist-backed Ram Raja Prasad Singh filed his nomination for the post of President today। Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai was among the five CA members who proposed his candidacy।Nepali Congress general secretary Dr Ram Baran Yadav and CPN-UML leader Ramprit Paswan also filed their nominations for the post on behalf of their respective parties.UML’s Astha Laxmi Shakya, NC’s Man Bahadur Bishowkarma, Maoist-backed Shanta Shrestha and former SC justice Parmananda Jha filed their nominations for Vice-President’s post. Jha is backed by United Democrartic Madhesi Front.The Maoists, who have 226 votes in the CA, today officially decided to back Singh and Shrestha for the posts of President and Vice-President. There are 594 voters in the CA, as the newly appointed CA members Biswa Nath Upadhyay and Padma Jyoti are yet to be sworn in and five constituencies remain vacant after winners from two seats vacated those constituencies.Maoists expect Madhesi parties to back Singh. MJF chairman Upendra Yadav, however, said his party would support Singh if the Maoists backed Jha for the Vice President’s post.“Or else, all the possibilities will be open for us,” Yadav said, adding that the politics was a game of possibilities.Earlier, Maoist leader Dr Bhattarai said they wanted to strike a balance between hilly region and Madhes and between men and women, and therefore decided to back Singh and Shrestha for the high offices.UDMF has 91 votes in the 601-member CA. Nepali Congress and the UML have 113 and 108 votes, respectively. Two out of the three CA members of NSP-A, two Nepali Janata Dal members and one CA member of Dalit Janajati Party are expected to side with the UDMF. The elections for the posts will be held on Saturday.