The police sprang into action after UCPN (Maoist) candidate of constituency no 1 in Taplejung, Sanchapal Maden, was attacked on Friday in the course of poll publicity campaign. The police described the arrest of CPN-M activists Rakesh Dahal and Surendra Karki as part of their effort to ensure free and fair polls. [break]
According to the police, it has also expedited the search for the people involved in the attack on Maden. A group of CPN-M leaders including its district in-charge Suman had attacked the poll publicity campaigners of UCPN (Maoist) on Friday night at Mehele VDC, according to the police report filed by Maden.
According to the police source, a team of over two dozen police personnel have been deployed to nab CPN-M district leaders involved in the attack.
However, CPN-M Taplejung chapter refuted the allegations about the attack and said that the public themselves took action against UCPN (Maoist) leaders. The district Secretary of CPN-M, Rajkumar Chudal, said over telephone that the action taken by the public against the UCPN-M candidates should not be linked with the CPN-M activists. Candidate Maden sustained minor injures in the attack.
Meanwhile, Sanghiya Ganatantrik Samajwadi Party has also voiced is opposition to the upcoming poll openly. The district chief of the party Manish Hallok said that his party would peacefully protest the upcoming election.
Similarly, another dissenting party, Sanghiya Limbuwan Rajya Parisadh, has announced general strike across the nine eastern districts keeping in the view the UCPN (M) chair Puspa Kamal Dahal´s prescheduled poll campaign in Taplejung on Monday.
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