Election campaign of all parties including the UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML are being held in all the districts without any obstruction by the CPN-Maoist, which has announced to actively boycott the upcoming CA polls. [break]
CPN-UML candidate from the constituency number 2 of Dolakha Ananda Pokharel said they have not faced any such obstruction in their election campaign so far. “I have encountered a few of their cadres in some villages. But they have not obstructed our election campaign yet,” he told Republica.
The presence of Baidya-led Maoists is confined to the remote villages on the border of Ramechhap, Dolakha and Sindhuli districts, where there is no strong presence of police. But in the districts they are almost non-existent as the local administration has warned of stringent action against anti-election activities.
According to Chief District Officer of Ramechhap Gopal Prasad Parajuli, there are reports that CPN-Maoist has its presence in Jumdel, Lakhanpur, Gumsi, Churchure and Bamti areas. “We have stepped up vigilance in those areas keeping in view possible anti-election activities,” said Parajuli.
Two CPN-Maoist cadres, who were preparing to paste anti-election pamphlets in Khimti area last week, had fled after the police intervened. “The anti-poll activities of CPN-Maoist have not been reported since,” Chief of Ramechhap District Police Office DSP Bimal Raj Kandel told Republica.
Altogether 32 candidates are contesting the election from the two constituencies of Ramechhap district. While District Police Office has provided Personal Security Officer (PSO) to five candidates, including those from NC, UML and UCPN (Maoist), police have maintained strict vigilance.
The Baidya-led Maoist has carried out no major anti-election activity in Dolakha, except their move to thwart UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal´s scheduled program in Charikot on Wednesday. “The CPN-Maoist has carried out no anti-poll activity in the district,” said Chief District Officer of Dolakha Pralhad Pokharel.
CPN-Maoist cadres had planted a bomb and felled trees on the road to Charikot apparently to thwart Maoist rally in Charikot in wee hours on Wednesday.
Interestingly, a leader supporting CPN-Maoist has filed independent candidacy from both the constituencies of Dolakha district.
Though Nabin Rajaswaraj Rimal supports CPN-Maoist he has not assumed any position in the party. Rimal served as UCPN (Maoist) District Committee secretary in Dolakha before former lawmaker Devi Khadka took over the responsibility.
In the first week of October, locals in Charikot had defied the strike enforced by CPN-Maoist and ran business as usual without any resistance from the Baidya-led party. “This also shows that the party has a relatively weaker hold in the district,” argued Vice president of the Dolakha chapter of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Rajan Siwakoti.
Nevertheless, police officials say they have received intelligence reports that the CPN-Maoists have presence in Tamachet, Dudhpokhari and Shailung areas adjoining the borders of Ramechhap, Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha districts. “However, they are not in a position to openly carry out anti-election activities,” said Dolakha District Police Chief DSP Suresh Prasad Kafle.
CPN-Maoist Dolakha District Secretary Prem Darnal, however, said this was a propaganda spread by the opposition parties. “We have our committees in all our villages in the district. We are currently engaged in peaceful boycott of the election,” he said. Locals said Baidya-led Maoists had appealed to them through a statement to boycott Dahal´s function scheduled for Wednesday.
“They seemed to have put their entire strength to foil Dahal´s function, but they failed,” said a local journalist Deep Shankar Chaulagain.
Altogether 47 candidates have fielded their candidacies from two constituencies in Dolakha district. Kafle said they have provided PSOs to four candidates as per their demand.
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