Nepal Sushasan Party chairman Ramesh Kharel has decided to contest the upcoming by-elections for the Bara constituency-2 seat under the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) election symbol.

If Kharel is to win the preliminary intra-party election of the RSP, he will be fielded as a candidate from Bara-2.

Another RSP member Yubraj Neupane has also laid his claim on the candidacy for the Bara-2 by-elections.

Candidates, within RSP, vying for a candidacy in the upcoming by-elections were given until 11am on Friday to lay their claims on the respective constituencies.

According to Nepal Sushasan Party General Secretary Govinda Giri, Kharel will only be using RSP’s election symbol.

“No decisions about party merger have been made, although talks are being held to discuss the topic. For now, we have only reached an agreement to use RSP’s election symbol for the upcoming election,” Giri said.

Kharel, a former Deputy Inspector General, had previously contested in the November 20 polls from Kathmandu-1. He stood fifth, garnering 3,124 votes, while Prakash Man Singh of the Nepali Congress was elected from the constituency.

Several other prominent Madhesh-based party leaders are also vying for the lower House seat from Bara-2.

Loktantrik Samajbadi Party on Thursday decided to field senior party leader Rajendra Mahato, while Janata Samajbadi Party chair Upendra Yadav and Shiv Chandra Kushwaha of the Janamat Party have also announced their candidacy for the said constituency.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress, which has decided to field former student-wing president Govinda Bhattarai from Tanahun-1 and former district president Jeet Narayan Shrestha from Chitwan-2 for the by-elections, has decided to support JSP candidate Upendra Yadav in Bara-2.