KATHAJOR (RAMECHHAP), Oct 31: Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, which had to face humiliating defeat in Ramechhap in the previous Constituent Assembly (CA) election, are gearing up efforts to secure their lost position in both constituencies of the district.
While NC and CPN-UML are bracing for a tough battle in constituency number 1 of the district, there are high chances of a neck-to-neck competition between the UCPN (Maoist) and UML in constituency number 2, thanks to internal problems in the NC.[break]
According to preliminary estimates by party insiders as well as locals and intellectuals, NC candidate Aangtawa Sherpa and UML candidate Kamal Prakash Sunuwar are ahead of UCPN (Maoist) candidate Laxmi Devi Gurung in constituency number 1. UCPN (Maoist) candidate Tara Narayan Shrestha, who hails from Kathajor, had won a landslide in the previous election, securing a total vote of 19,910 against 10,245 secured by his nearest rival, Aangtawa Sherpa of NC.
Locals in Kathajor said the election results in the upcoming poll are going to be totally different as the Maoist candidate has failed to deliver on most of the promises he made previously. “The whole village had stood in favor of Shrestha in the previous election. But since the Maoists largely failed to deliver on their lofty promises, people are miffed,” Dhan Lal Shrestha, a Kathajor local, told Republica.
Local leaders of NC and the UML alleged that the Maoists had bagged victories with huge margins during the previous election as they (NC and UML) were not even allowed to run an election campaign in most villages lying in the upper belt of the constituency. “However, the situation has changed. Cadres of all parties including ours are now able to run campaigns in all the villages without any obstruction, unlike in the previous election,” said NC constituency number 1 president Lekh Bahadur Karki.
Of the total 29VDCs, NC and UML leaders were denied entry into various VDCs including Pharpu, Salu, Gothgaun, Duragaun and Deurali for campaigning during the last election in April, 2008.
Party insiders say NC and the UML are relatively stronger in the villages lying in the lower belt including Khimti, Tilpung, Nagdaha, Kathajor, Ramechhap, Sukajor, Salu, Okhreni, Sunarpani, Deurali, Rampur, Sanghutar, Himganga, Gothgaun and Bijulikot.
All three candidates --Sherpa, Sunuwar and Gurung--hail from the upper belt of the constituency, which is heavily dominated by indigenous nationalities. NC and UML leaders believe that since votes from the upper belt are likely to be divided among three candidates this time, the votes their candidates get from the lower belt will easily defeat the Maoist candidate.
Many locals surmise that the decision of the Maoists to deny candidacy to Shrestha, who won the last election from the constituency, and field a woman candidate, could have come after concluding that the party many not win again.
Maoist Ramechhap District Office Secretary Prem Sagar Thapa, however, claimed that their victory in constituency number 1 is already guaranteed. “The election environment is gradually turning in our favor. We are confident we will bag a victory this time also if we put in extra effort to garner votes in the lower belt,” he told Republica.
Constituency number 1 of the district has a total of 55,311 voters, down from 89,041 in the previous CA election.
NC in trouble in constituency 2 on account of own leaders
Even as dissenting NC leader Laxman Ghimire publicly pledged his full support in favor of NC constituency number 1 candidate Sherpa, not all local NC leaders are happy with the candidacy of Ram Chandra Khadka in constituency number 2.
While a Mahasamiti member, Bir Bahadur Tamang, has openly put forth a nine-point demand that includes dissolution of the party´s current district committee for supporting Khadka, few other NC leaders have remained passive in the election campaign. “This is likely to affect the votes for Khadka,” said a local NC leader, asking to remain unnamed. Khadka himself has not been able to run an election campaign as he is busy with death rituals for his father.
Party insiders estimate that Maoist candidate Shyam Kumar Shrestha and UML candidate Kailash Prasad Dhungel will face a tough battle in constituency number 2 if internal rift within the NC is not settled on time. “Nevertheless, it is still too early to comment on which party will win in the constituency,” said UML activist Kamal Prasad Dhungel.
UCPN (Maoist) leader Dilliman Tamang had secured victory from the constituency in the last CA election, securing a total of 31,121 votes. While his nearest rival, UML candidate Kailash Prasad Dhungel, secured 7,010 votes, NC´s Ram Hari Dhungel bagged only 5,426.
Locals predict that the UCPN (Maoist) will see a dramatic decrease in its votes as many people in villages lying in the Thedi Khola belt are not happy with Maoist poll candidate Shyam Kumar Shrestha for relocating a motorable bridge over the Tamakoshi River from Thedi Khola to Bhutima Khola.
The bridge, which is under construction, was originally planned for construction over the Bhutima Khola.