By IRNA
New Delhi : Nepal King Gyanendra, who faces the axing of his 238-year-old crown, can’t exercise his franchise to defend his legacy because, in the past, when Nepal’s kings were omnipotent, above law and considered divinities, they never took part in elections and were therefore not included in the voters’ list.
The Narayanhity royal palace, which the government plans to take over and convert into a museum if Gyanendra loses the April 10 vote, falls in a Kathmandu constituency.
But its residents, Gyanendra and his wife Komal, have never been registered as voters, reported Times of India.
Neither is Gyanendra’s son Paras, who has been reined in by his royal parent on the eve of the trial of strength, along with his wife Himani.
The Queen mother, Ratna, one of the staunchest supporters of her son who jeopardized his throne by staging an ill-advised coup three years ago, has no vote either.
The irony is that after the fall of Gyanendra’s government and the restoration of democracy in Nepal, the new multi-party government tried to ensure the rights of the nation’s Terai population, who were once excluded from the bureaucracy, judiciary and army.
Thousands of Madhesis, Terai residents, were given citizenship to arm them with voting and other rights.
However, by some lack of vision or wilful omission, the revised electoral list failed to include its most august citizens even though, technically, they became commoners last year after parliament proclaimed Nepal a federal republic.
It is likely that other royal relatives, like Gyanendra’s married daughter Prerana, and his nieces, have also not been registered as voters.
However, despite the Maoists forcing parliament to declare Nepal a republic ahead of the election, the poll could throw up some surprises.