RAMECHHAP, Oct 26: Rebel candidates of leftist alliance in Ramechhap district chartered a helicopter from Kathmandu to Ramechhap's district headquarters Manthali on Wednesday to withdraw their candidacies after reaching agreement with their party. 

Maoist Center's Laxmi Gurung had registered her name as independent candidate for parliamentary elections from Ramechhap Constituency-1. Likewise, Hemanta Paudel and Madan Kumar Moktan had filed candidacies for provincial elections from Constituency-1 and Constituency-2 respectively.

After filing the candidacies on October 22, they headed straight to the capital to meet central-level leaders of their party. On Wednesday, the last day of candidacy withdrawal, the alliance's parliamentary candidate Shyam Kumar Shrestha of Maoist Center himself escorted them back to Manthali on a chartered helicopter and took them straight to the office of the chief returning officer. 

Earlier, those candidates had filed their independent candidacies to contest in the upcoming parliamentary and provincial elections after being dissatisfied with the left alliance of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center).

Those who had rebelled against the party to file their independent candidacy had earlier claimed that they would not withdraw their candidacy at any cost. They said that they filed their candidacy as a protest against the tyranny within the party, and as per the wishes of the committed cadres of the party. 

As the withdrawals of their candidacy contradicted with their earlier claims, it has raised question about their morality. It has now become clear that the rebel candidacies were filed as a bargaining chip to make demands with their party.

Formation of the left alliance had created troubles for both UML and Maoist Center as they had to compromise on filing candidacies, which resulted in criticism and registration of rebel candidacies from district-level leaders. 

As the rebel candidacies created problems for the official candidates chosen by the alliance, both the parties made serious efforts to make them withdraw their candidacies. It is said that UML and Maoist Center made great efforts from the central level to pacify the disgruntled groups and resolve conflicts related to candidacy nominations in various districts.

The buzz created by rebel candidacies got even more intense with their withdrawal. The electoral atmosphere in the district has taken yet another direction after the withdrawal of independent candidacies.

The office of the chief returning officer is yet to publish the final name-list of candidates. 

 
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