‘Will Not Contest the Next Election’: CK Raut Announces Retirement from Parliamentary Politics

Kathmandu : Chairman of the Janamat Party, CK Raut, has announced his retirement from parliamentary politics. During an interview with journalist Rishi Dhakal on Prime TV’s program “Janta Janna Chahanchhan,” he made it clear that he will not contest in future elections.

“I had thought that whether I won or lost in this election, I would retire from parliamentary politics. This does not mean I will abandon the party. Although the party will prepare for future elections, I will not contest parliamentary elections,” he said.

Commenting that his utility in parliament is not significant, he revealed that he will no longer participate in parliamentary politics or compete in any elections.

Recalling that he did not wish to become a candidate even in the 2022 election, he said, “My colleagues were in Bhaktapur preparing the proportional representation list. I had told them not to make me a candidate, either under proportional representation or direct. They convinced me saying that if I didn’t contest, morale would drop, and what would happen if we didn’t win a single seat. Thus, I contested unwillingly.”

Claiming that he is not saddened by the current election results, he stated, “This time too, I was in the mindset of not contesting the election. I knew to a great extent that I would be defeated. If I hadn’t contested, I would have also been blamed for the defeat of all Madhesh-based parties. But now I feel it was right that I contested.”