2023 Chitwan–2 by-election

2023 Chitwan–2 by-election

23 April 2023 (2023-04-23)
Constituency of Chitwan 2 in the House of Representatives
Turnout	63%[1]
Candidate Rabi Lamichhane Jit Narayan Shrestha Ram Prasad Neupane Party RSP Congress CPN (UML) Popular vote 54,176 11,214 10,936 Percentage 70.03% 14.49% 14.14%
Chitwan 2 in Bagmati Province
MP before election Rabi Lamichhane RSP Elected MP Rabi Lamichhane RSP

The 2023 Chitwan–2 by-election was held in the Chitwan 2 constituency of Nepal on 23 April 2023.[2][3] The by-election was held as the result of the vacation of the seat by the sitting member, Rabi Lamichhane, president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party.[4] It was held alongside by-elections in Tanahun 1 and Bara 2.[5]

RSP's Lamichhane was re-elected in the by-election, securing an even greater margin of votes than in the 2022 general election.[6][7]

Background

First elected in 2022, Lamichhane served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs from 26 December 2022 to 27 January 2023, when he was stripped of all his elected positions after the Supreme Court ruled that Lamichhane did not follow due process to re-obtain his Nepali citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship, and thus, he was not a legal Nepali citizen.[8] He reacquired the Nepali citizenship two days later, and contested the by-election.[9][10]

2022 election result

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Rabi Lamichhane	Rastriya Swatantra Party	49,300	61.05
	Umesh Shrestha	Nepali Congress	14,988	18.56
	Krishna Bhakta Pokharel	CPN (UML)	14,652	18.14
Others			1,813	2.25
Total			80,753	100.00
Majority			34,312
	Rastriya Swatantra Party gain
Source: ECN[11]

Result

Candidate		Party	Votes	%	+/–
	Rabi Lamichhane	Rastriya Swatantra Party	54,176	70.03	+8.98
	Jit Narayan Shrestha	Nepali Congress	11,214	14.49	−4.07
	Ram Prasad Neupane	CPN (UML)	10,936	14.14	−4.00
Others			1,040	1.34	−0.91
Total			77,366	100.00	–
Majority			42,962
	Rastriya Swatantra Party hold
Source: ECN[12]

References

1. "Around 60 percent votes cast in by-elections: Election Commission". kathmandupost.com.
2. "प्रेस विज्ञप्ति - २०७९.१०.२९ चितवन जिल्ला निर्वाचन क्षेत्र नं. २ को उपनिर्वाचन सम्बन्धमा". Election Commission, Nepal (in Nepali). Retrieved 13 February 2023.
3. "By-election in Chitwan-2 scheduled for April 23". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
4. "Supreme Court annuls Rabi Lamichhane's status as lawmaker". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
5. diwakar (20 March 2023). "By-elections in Tanahun 1 and Bara 2 on April 23, together with Chitwan 2 - OnlineKhabar English News". Retrieved 21 March 2023.
6. "Rabi Lamichhane elected from Chitwan-2". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
7. Republica. "RSP Chair Lamichhane wins Chitwan-2 by-election, receives certificate of victory". My Republica. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
8. "Court strips Lamichhane of all posts over citizenship". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
9. "Rabi Lamichhane reacquires citizenship certificate". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
10. "चितवन–२ को उपचुनावमा रवि उम्मेदवार हुन पाउँछन् ?". Online Khabar. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
11. "प्रतिनिधि सभा सदस्य निर्वाचनमा उम्मेदवारहरुको सुची". Election Commission of Nepal.
12. "प्रतिनिधि सभा सदस्य उपनिर्वाचनमा उम्मेदवारहरुको सुची". Election Commission of Nepal.