Gopal Prasad Sharma, who lost his eyesight in an acid attack by Maoist rebels during the insurgency in Rukum, has filed his candidacy for the National Assembly (NA) elections from the Nepali Congress (NC).   

He filed his nomination under the differently-abled category at office of Chief Election Officer in Surkhet on Wednesday. 

Sharma, who had reached the office accompanied by his wife, seemed pleased with his party’s decision to nominate him to the Upper House.  

“I was attacked for being a staunch Congress supporter. I am glad that the party leadership recognised my loyalty and decided to nominated me to the Upper House,” he said. 

If elected, the 68-year-old said, he would work towards ensuring justice to thousands of conflict victims just like him. A former chairman of Kholagaun Village Development Committee in Rukum district, Sharma was captured and tortured by the Maoist insurgents in July 1998 because of his association with the NC.

“The Maoist insurgents had captured me with a singular objective of making me quit Congress. But when I refused to give in to their coercions, they poured acid in my eyes,” he said.