- Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Kathmandu, Jan 20: Nepal’s outstanding public debt has exceeded Rs 2800 billion.
At the beginning of the current fiscal year (17 July 2025), the total public debt was Rs 2674 billion 40 million which increased by Rs 132 billion 340 million by the end of Poush (14 January 2026), reaching Rs 2806 billion 390 million.
The total outstanding public debt remaining to be settled stands 45.95 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
According to the Public Debt Management Office, of the total public debt so far, Rs 1408 billion 262.2 million (53 percent) is external debt, and Rs 1319 billion 131 million (47 percent) is internal debt.
Based on the GDP, the ratio of internal debt is 21.60 percent and the ratio of external debt is 24.35 percent.
The government has set a target of raising public debt of Rs 595 billion for the current fiscal year.
By the mid-term review of the budget period, Rs 214.55 billion has already been received, which stands 36.02 percent of the annual target.
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26- HoR member elections: 2925 candidates file nominations as of 6.00 pm today
Kathmandu, Jan 20: A total of 2,925 candidates have registered their nominations in 165 constituencies across the country towards the first-past-the-post electoral system of the House of Representatives (HoR) member elections to be held on coming March 5 as of 6.00 pm this evening.
At a press conference organized by the Election Commission (EC) this evening after the filing of the candidacies, Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut informed that the registration of 336 female and 2,589 male candidates has appeared in the EC’s system. The number may still increase since the task of verification is underway in some electoral constituencies, he said.
Only four candidates have registered their candidacies in Mustang which is the lowest in number.
Likewise, five candidates have registered their candidacies in Manang, Raut informed. It has been reported that the candidacies in both districts have been finalized.
The highest number of candidacies was registered in Rupandehi electoral constituencies 2 and 3, with 35 candidates each. Candidacy in Rupandehi constituency 2 has been finalized, while it is still pending in constituency 3.
Generally, the registration of candidacies has been conducted peacefully as reported by the offices of the returning officers.
The submission of nomination papers was scheduled from 10 am to 5 .00 pm today.
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27 – JSP Chair Yadav files nomination for HoR election from Saptari-3
Rajbiraj (Saptari), Jan 20: Chairperson of the Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal and former Deputy Prime Minister, Upendra Yadav, registered his nomination on Tuesday for the upcoming March 5’s election to House of Representatives (HoR) from Saptari constituency 3.
Yadav had contested in the previous election from the electoral constituency 2 in the same district. He had conceded defeat by Janamat Party’s leader CK Raut in that election.
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28- HoR election: NC President Thapa files candidacy from Sarlahi-4
Barahathawa (Sarlahi), Jan 20: President of the Nepali Congress, Gagan Kumar Thapa, filed his candidacy for the House of Representatives (HoR) election from constituency no 4 of Sarlahi district on Tuesday. The HoR election is scheduled for coming March 5.
President Thapa filed his candidacy through his authorized representative. He is proposed by Upendra Prasad Kushwaha and seconded by Ram Ashray Sah, according to election officer Binod Prasad Ghimire.
Thapa, who had been contesting HoR election from constituency no 4 of Kathmandu, shifted constituency this time.
As President Thapa could not be present here physically owing to hectic schedules, leader Birendra Singh filed his candidacy as his authorized representative. Leader Niroj Karki shared this information.
Others filing candidacies from this constituency are Ravi Shankar Kushwaha of the CPN UML, Dr Amaresh Kumar Singh of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Dr Rajnish Yadav of the Nepali Communist Party, and Rameshwor Ray Yadav of the Janata Samajbadi Party, according to election officer Ghimire.
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29- RSP President Lamichhane files candidacy from Chitwan-2
Chitwan, Jan 20: President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rabi Lamichhane, has filed his candidacy from constituency no 2 of Chitwan for the upcoming House of Representatives election.
He filed candidacy through the authorized representative, Sita Gyawali, on Tuesday, according to assistant election officer, Deviram Bhandari.
Leader Bikram Shrestha proposed Lamichanne’s candidacy while Ramaji Thakuri seconded him. Lamichhane could not attend the election office in-person for his busy schedule at District Court Parsa, where he is facing a case of cooperative fraud.
Others to file candidacies from Chitwan-2 are Mina Kharel of the Nepali Congress, Ashwin Ghimire of the CPN UML, and Pratap Gurung of the Nepali Communist Party.
Similarly, constituency no 2 in Chitwan witnessed the candidacy filing by Dev Prasad Gurung of the Nepali Congress, Shankar Raj Thapaliya of the CPN UML, Renu Dahal of the Nepali Communist Party and Sobita Gautam of the RSP.
Rajendra Prasad Burlakoti of the Nepali Congress, Dorje Lama of the UML, Dr Krishna Raj Pant of the Nepali Communist Party and Hari Dhakal of the RSP filed their candidacies from constituency no 1 of Chitwan.
There are 442,082 voters registered in the voters’ list in the district having three constituencies.
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30- A dozen of journalists in election fray
Kathmandu, Jan 20: More than a dozen of journalists have filed their candidacies for the March 5 election to the House of Representatives (HoR), marking a notable shift from newsroom to active politics.
Although the trend of journalists stepping into politics is not new in Nepal, their participation has witnessed a noticeable surge in the upcoming election.
Journalist and outgoing Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Jagadish Kharel, resigned from the post and filed candidacy from Lalitpur constituency-2, representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).
A television programme presenter Rishi Dhamala filed candidacy from Rautahat constituency-4 on the behalf of the Aam Janata Party while RSP has also fielded journalist Kabir Rana from Bhaktapur constituency-2.
Similarly, media professional Manarishi Dhital is running for the election from Jumla constituency-1 representing the Pragatishil Lokatantrik Party while Dr Dipendra Rokaya is contesting in Humla district as a Nepali Communist Party candidate.
The same party has fielded journalist Rupa Maharjan for Kathmandu constituency-10, while Ajay Babu Siwakoti of Nepali Congress from Dolakha constituency-1.
Also, Uddabraj Bhetwal is contesting in Kathmandu constituency-6, representing the RSP while Swagat Nepal from the same party in Jhapa constituency-2.
Former journalist Surya Bahadur Thapa Chettri has filed his nomination from Pyuthan district, representing the CPN (UML).
Additionally, RSP’s President Rabi Lamichhane along with Deepak Bohora, Sobita Gautam and Nisha Dangi of the same parties, who all have journalistic backgrounds, are also contesting in the upcoming election.
Among them, Lamichhane, Gautam and Dangi were elected in the previous HoR election held in 2022.
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31- HoR election: Seven former health ministers in fray
Kathmandu, Jan 20: Seven former health ministers have joined the election bandwagon. They filed their candidacies from various districts for the March 5 election to the House of Representatives.
Former health ministers Gagan Thapa, Pradip Paudel, Padam Giri, Sher Bahadur Tamang, Pradip Yadav, Upendra Yadav and Bhanubhakta Dhakal fielded themselves representing various political parties.
The Election Commission’s record showed that President of the Nepali Congress, Thapa, filed candidacy from constituency-4 of Sarlahi district, while same party General Secretary Paudel from constituency-5 of Kathmandu district, UML’s leader Giri from Parbat district, same party leaders Tamang from constituency-2 of Sindhupalchowk district and Pradip Yadav from constituency-1 of Parsa, JSP Nepal’s Chairperson Yadav from constituency-3 of Saptari and UML’s Dhakal from Tehrathum district.
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32- SC denies interim order on NC leadership dispute
Kathmandu, Jan 20: The Supreme Court has denied interim order on a writ petition filed on leadership dispute of the Nepali Congress (NC).
A writ petition was filed against Election Commission’s recognition to Gagan Thapa as the NC President elected from the special general convention.
A hearing was conducted in the single bench of Justice Sunil Kumar Pokharel on Tuesday. The group led by Sher Bahadur Deuba had challenged the Election Commission’s decision to confer authenticity on Thapa-led NC, but the court denied interim order sought in favour of Deuba.
The Justice argued that the writ warranted a remedy of constitutional questions associated to politics via final hearing, so interim order was not necessary.
Justice Pokharel, however, ordered written responses on the case, giving it a prior right of hearing within 15 days of submission of the written responses.
Shravan Kumar Shrestha had lodged the petition as an authorized representative of NC leaders Deuba and Purna Bahadur Khadka against Thapa’s election as NC President, arguing that the special convention and Election Commission’s recognition to Thapa were illegal.
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33- HoR election: Around 55 percent new faces in UML
Kathmandu, Jan 20: The CPN (UML) has filed candidacies for all 165 electoral constituencies across the country for the March 5 election to the House of Representatives with around 55 per cent of its candidates being new faces.
Min Bahadur Shahi, Party’s Chief of the Publicity Department, in a press meet organized at party office in Lalitpur on Tuesday, shared that candidates hopefuls including party Chairperson KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday registered their nomination in an enthusiastic presence of leaders, cadres and the public.
Shahi said of the total party candidates in fray, 54.54 percent are first-timer contenders.
Among them, there are 50 percent new candidates each in Sudurpaschim and Madhesh provinces while 53.75 per cent candidates contesting from Koshi Province are new, Shahi explained.
Likewise, Karnali province has the highest portion of the new candidates at 75 percent whereas Lumbini Province has the lowest at 42.30 percent, he explained.
Similarly, new candidates make up 60 percent of the party’s nominees in Bagmati Province and 61.11 per cent in Gandaki province, he added.
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34 – HoR election: PM Karki expresses gratitude to parties, candidates
Kathmandu, Jan 20: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has expressed heartfelt gratitude to all political parties and candidates for filing candidacies enthusiastically for the March 5 election to the House of Representatives (HoR).
The parties filed candidacies within the stipulated time.”It is a milestone set for the coming HoR election. I again remind you all that government is devoted to hold HoR election in a free, fair and calm atmosphere. There will be no compromise in security. All security agencies are working with utmost professionalism and alertness,” PM Karki stated.
The registration of candidates for the first-past-the-post category of HoR election by over 3,400 leaders is a testimony of trust in democracy and urgency to strengthen system, according to her. The election bandwagon has helped to energize politics and private sectors alike, thereby ending uncertainty. Entire country is engrossed in the mahakumbha of election.
She thanked Election Commission and its employees for managing the election schedule and candidacy registration, and expected further cooperation from the political parties, civil society and media to make this democratic exercise a grand success.
The PM appealed to all Nepali sisters and brothers to participate in the HoR election actively for a sustainable democracy and stability.
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35 – SC seeks original copy of decision of Attorney General on
Lamichhane’s case revision
Kathmandu, Jan 20: The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered to submit the original copy of the decision by the Office of Attorney General regarding the revision of cases on organized crime and money laundering charged against Rabi Lamichhane, the President of Rastriya Swatantra Party.
A single bench of Justice Abdul Aziz Musalman made this order seeking the original copy of the decision made by the Office of the Attorney General on January 14.
The SC has ordered to submit the original file of the decision through the Office of the Attorney General, the reasons behind the revision of the cases filed by different district government attorneys and any other evidence in the cases, if available.
The SC has asked both sides of the cases to appear at the court on January 22 to reach a conclusion whether or not the case demands the interim order.
Earlier, cases against cooperatives’ funds embezzlement, organized crime and money laundering were filed against President Lamichhane.
The Office of the Attorney General had revised and withdrawn the cases on organized crime and money laundering filed against Lamichhane and other defendants.
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36- Conducive environment created for voting: Officiating Chief Election Commissioner
Kathmandu, Jan 20: Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has said that nomination of the candidates for the election to the House of Representatives (HoR) was completed in a peaceful manner in all 165 constituencies across the country on Tuesday.
This has created a conducive environment to institutionalize voters’ sovereign right to voting, he stated. Nomination of candidates across the country was completed today after starting at 10:00 in the morning.
Organizing a news conference today, Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Bhandari expressed confidence that the people’s representatives to be elected from March 5 election would work for good governance in the country.
He stated that the candidates could visit voters’ doorsteps after releasing the final names of the candidates and getting the election symbols on January 23. However, massive rallies and publicity programmes would be allowed only after February 16.
Likewise, Bhandari shared that the elections would be conducted in a peaceful manner by mobilizing the security forces in a coordinated fashion.
Similarly, elections in some local levels and province assemblies, where posts have remained vacant after the resignation of province assembly members and local levels’ chiefs and deputies, would be conducted within six months by holding consultations with the government, Bhandari vowed.
On the occasion, he cautioned the candidates and political parties to abide by the election code of conduct.
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37- Will focus on development of base area of People’s War, Prachanda says
Rukum Purva, Jan 20: Coordinator of Nepali Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that ensuring a speedy development in the district of Rukum Purva was his major priority.
Addressing a gathering after filing his nomination in Rukum Purva constituency no. 1 for March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) elections on Tuesday, the Nepali Communist Party’s Coordinator assured the people there to meet their expectations.
Prior to filing his nomination, Dahal took blessings from the families of the martyrs. On the occasion, he also promised to address the aspirations of the martyrs’ dreams.
Saying that he contested the polls in 2064 BS from Rolpa, one of the base areas of People’s War, Dahal shared his satisfaction with the people of Rukum Purva for this opportunity to contest the polls from yet another base area of the decade-long wartime.
“Now, I will work to end corruption and ensure social justice along with development in close coordination with the people from Rukum and Rolpa,” he added.
During the event, former district chair of CPN (UML) Top Bahadur Oli and several other leaders joined the Nepali Communist Party by quitting the UML.
New entrant Oli said they would back Dahal in the upcoming polls to ensure his landslide victory in Rukum Purva for the development and prosperity of the district.
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38- HoR election: Six candidates from sexually marginalized community
Kathmandu, Jan 20: Six candidates from the sexually marginalized community have registered their candidacies for the upcoming March 5 election to the House of Representatives (HoR). They are representing the Samabeshi Samajbadi Party.
The deadline for registering nomination for the upcoming election under the first-past-the-post system was set on Tuesday.
Surendra Pandey filed his candidacy from Kathmandu constituency no 1 on the behalf of the Samabeshi Samajwadi Party.
He reached the Office of the chief election officer at Baneshwor and registered his candidacy with 50 percent discount on the candidacy registration fee. However, he had to present his marriage registration certificate for making clean on his identity.
Pandey who hails from Kawasoti municipality-8, Nawalparashi Purba district had wedded with Ram Bahadur Gurung (Maya) of Dordi rural municipality-2 Lamjung district two years ago and had become South Asia’s first couple from sexual minority community to legally register their marriage.
Pandey, who has been continuously campaigning for the rights of the sexual and gender minorities, said that he did not see any other alternative but the politics to bring about transformation. “Having courage to run for the election in a society full of challenges itself is a victory. Now I have to win the hearts of people and deliver by doing different kinds of work,” he mentioned.
Five other candidates contesting the the upcoming election are Surendra from Kathmandu constituency-1, Devendra Bahadur Khatri (Madhu) from Rupandehi constituency-2, Numa Limbu from Morang constituency-4.
Pinky Rai has been nominated from Okhaldungha and Binod Lama (Konika) from Kavrepalanchowk constituency-1.
Earlier in 2064 BS first Constituent Assembly election, CPN (United) had made Sunil Babu Panta a member of parliament under the proportional representation category.
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