KATHMANDU, Jan 8: A group of independent activists has warned Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Mayor Balenendra Shah (Balen) to return the ‘Lauro’ (walking cane) election symbol within a week.
Addressing a special gathering and press conference on Thursday under the banners of the Lauro Campaign, Independent Campaign and Gen Z Campaign, the activists said the symbol does not belong to any individual or institution but represents the collective hope and political alternative of ordinary citizens. The activists also accuse Balen of “hijacking” the symbol and handing it over to the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).
Activist Dambar Sah said Balen’s group had turned the symbol into a bargaining tool and transferred it to the RSP through what he called political dishonesty and a “robbery-style” deal.
Local level poll candidates receive election symbols
The Lauro was a election symbol of ‘Hamro Nepali Party’ during the 2022 general election. Activists accused Anantaraj Ghimire and Rohan Karki of the party to change the party name into Desh Bikash Party. They said that Balen used the election symbol as a bargaining tool during his merger with Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP).
The activists warned that failure to return the symbol within a week would lead to protests and sit-ins at the Desh Bikash Party office and outside Shah’s residence.
Shah under ‘Lauro’ symbol had won the 2022 local elections as an independent candidate. The activits have demanded that the symbol should be preserved as a shared platform for independent forces through the formation of Hamro Nepali Party. They claimed that although 367 candidates contested provincial and federal elections under the symbol in 2022, it has now been “captured” by just two individuals.
Activists stressed that Shah was merely a stakeholder in the Lauro Campaign and had no personal claim over the symbol, which they described as a symbol of faith for independent political movements.
