NEPALGUNJ, June 13: Leaders, cadres and candidates of political parties in Banke district are busy as bees these days canvassing voters in connection with the second-phase local level election scheduled for June 28.
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They are engaged in the election campaign, visiting door-to-door with their respective party flags in hands, distributing posters and pamphlets and seeking votes using megaphones.
Most of the parties have already picked their candidates in Duduwa, Janaki, Baijnathpur, Khajura, Rapti Sonari and Narainapur rural municipalities, Khajura Municipality and Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City in the district.
According to analysts, mainly triangular contest is predicted in the district among the three major political parties of the country – the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Centre).
In the view of political analysts Dr Janardan Acharya and Arjun Pokharel, the traingular contest will transform into four-side contest if the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal decides to participate in the election in the last hour.
Though three-way competition is predicted in all the local levels in Banke district, the election might throw up some surprises going by the election results of the district in the past.
The Nepali Congress, which had won all three seats of Banke district in the parliamentary election of 2048 BS, lost all seats in the mid-term election held in 2051 BS. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party had won the election all three constituencies in that election.
Similarly, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum had got victorious in four seats (where one constituency was added in the district) in the first Constituent Assembly election while the CPN (UML) had won three seats and Nepali Congress in one seat in the second CA election.
Therefore, the voters have proved the election prognosis in the district wrong time and again. Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City in the district has now become the flashpoint of all in the local-level election scheduled for June 28.
Dr Suresh Kumar Kanodiya from Nepali Congress, Samasuddin Siddiqui of CPN (UML), Damodar Acharya from CPN (Maoist Centre) and Dr Dhawal Shumsher Rana from Rastriya Prajatantra Party are in the race for Mayoral post of the Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City.
According to regional election office chief Basanta Raj Adhikari, a total of 246,078 voters will exercise their voting rights in the upcoming second phase local poll scheduled for June 28 in the district.
He added that, of total voters, 125,933 are female and 120,084 male while there is a single third gender voter. There are 295 voting centres in the district for the election.
Similarly, CDO Rabi Lal Pantha said that they were strengthening the security preparing the strategic plans aimed at not to let any anti-election activities to occur.
He further shared that, Armed Police Force is deputed in 40 police posts and Nepal Army is kept in ready position in 15 places in view of the election.
CDO Pantha shared that they had launched joint patrolling along the Indo-Nepal border points for the security these days. RSS
