The two candidates for the presidential elections—Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress and Subas Nembang of the CPN-UML—have stepped up campaigns for the March 9 election.

Paudel is the candidate of the eight-party ruling alliance and Nembang is backed by the CPN-UML.

The eight-party alliance—including Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Centre), Unified Socialist, Janata Samajbadi Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, Janamat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party and Rastriya Janamorcha—has organised orientation training for their elected representatives in the run-up to the polls on Thursday and Friday.

The training events are apparently aimed at soliciting votes from central and provincial lawmakers and ensuring there is no cross-voting as the President will be elected through a secret ballot.

On Friday, the Nepali Congress, in coordination with alliance partners, held training sessions in the seven provinces for provincial lawmakers. The ruling alliance’s training for its federal lawmakers was held in Kathmandu on Thursday.

Nepali Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said their presidential candidate Paudel has already begun canvassing. Mahat claims their efforts will bear fruits, and Paudel’s election to the top post is certain.

“The eight-party alliance will remain intact. Other parties will also support us. There will be no cross-voting ,” said Mahat.

A total of 884 members make up the electoral college for the presidential election, including 275 members of the House of Representatives, 59 of the National Assembly and 550 provincial assembly members. A total of 881 lawmakers are eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

On the other hand, the CPN-UML has also expedited campaigning for its candidate, Nembang. It has already written to the political parties represented in the federal parliament and provincial assemblies including the partners of the eight-party alliance asking them to elect Nembang.

Nembang had also called on the Unified Socialist chair Madhav Kumar Nepal at his party office on Thursday. He also visited the central office of the Rastriya Swatantra Party on the same day for the same purpose.

According to UML Deputy General Secretary and publicity department chief Prithvi Subba Gurung, they also met Mahantha Thakur and other Loktantrik Samajbadi Party leaders and Janamat Party leadership on Friday seeking their votes for Nembang. UML leaders said they plan to meet the Maoist Centre and the JSP as well.

He further claimed, “Theirs is an eight-party consensus, not a national consensus. But ours is the national consensus candidate since he played a crucial role in constitution-making, and he is unbiased and neutral.”

Gurung claimed there will definitely be cross-voting. “Parties in and out of the alliance will vote for us.”

The Rastriya Swatantra Party and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party were considered closer to the CPN-UML when they were in the Dahal-led government. But both parties have not opened up on who they will support in the presidential election.

“The presidential election is not our top priority. We are busy in organisation building. Our votes, however, will not make a significant difference in the election. We will discuss the issue in a day or two,” said Kabindra Burlakoti, joint general secretary of the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

The party has continued its support to the Dahal-led government even after pulling out of the government. But the Rastriya Prajatantra Party that withdrew from the central and some provincial Cabinets has also withdrawn its support to the Dahal government.

“We will hold a discussion a day or two before the polls and decide whom to vote for,” said Mohan Shrestha, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party spokesperson.

Paudel, the candidate of the eight-party alliance, has a total weightage of 31,711 votes. For a win, only 26,393 votes are enough. On the other hand, the UML has a vote weightage of 15,281. Even if it gets the support of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the Rastriya Swatantra Party, they will have a combined weightage of 19,232 votes, which will not be enough to elect Nembang.

The leaders of smaller parties have been claiming that the eight-party alliance will continue and they will vote for Paudel.

“The eight-party alliance will vote for Paudel. There is no second thought about it,” said Chandan Singh, general secretary of the Janamat Party.

UML leaders, however, have been putting a brave face in public and claim leaders of various parties have promised to support Nembang and there will be cross-voting.

In recent months, people have witnessed many surprising twists and turns in Nepali politics. Dramatic turns of events have changed the game in the eleventh hour. And, such instances could have most possibly boosted UML’s confidence.

On December 25, the deadline given to political parties by the President to claim government leadership, UML chief KP Sharma Oli had succeeded in pulling Maoist chief Dahal from the Congress-led coalition and forming a new government with Dahal as prime minister. But within two months, Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba outfoxed Oli and broke the UML-Maoist partnership. Now, Dahal and Deuba lead the eight-party alliance for the presidential election.

Key leaders of the UML including party general secretary Shankar Pokharel have publicly claimed that this new coalition won’t survive even for months.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai echoed Gurung, saying that Nembang is the most suitable candidate for President since he has a good understanding of the constitution and laws. “The parties we have met are also positive about electing someone who represents inclusiveness and Nembang is such a candidate,” Bhattarai said.