Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that Ram Chandra Paudel and Krishna Sitaula are contenders for president from the grand old party.

Deuba talked about the presidential election among other things during the meeting of current and former NC office-bearers on Monday.  

Deuba briefed the meeting that Prime Minister (PM) Pushpa Kamal Dahal may support NC candidate in the presidential election after NC voted in support of PM Dahal during the floor test.

There is apprehension in UML that CPN (Maoist Center) wants to give the post of president to the main opposition NC in return for the confidence vote violating the power sharing agreement in the coalition.

Paudel, who was elected to the House of Representatives (HoR) from Tanahu-1, has been meeting PM Dahal in recent times to lobby for the post of president.

Sitaula, who lost to RPP Chairman Rajendra Lingden in Jhapa-3, told Setopati that Deuba took his and Paudel’s name for presidential candidate during the meeting. “President put the names but there was no additional discussion on the issue. He just said what he felt in his heart,” Sitaula added.

Sitaula supported Deuba in the election for NC president in both the 13th and 14th general conventions while Paudel, who lost to Deuba in the 13th, announced that he would remain neutral in the 14th but the faction of Shekhar Koirala, who lost the runoff to Deuba in the 14th general convention, accuses Paudel of supporting Deuba.

Both Paudel and Sitaula had actively supported Deuba in the election for parliamentary party leader.