Nepali Congress Central Committee meet discusses process of giving party tickets for local poll

Nepali Congress Central Committee meet discusses process of giving party tickets for local poll

Kathmandu, March 27: Discussions in today's session of the Nepali Congress central committee (CC) meeting focused on the process of giving party tickets for the upcoming local level election scheduled for May 14 this year.

 Party central members present in the meeting put their views on the 'appropriate ways' for giving party tickets to possible candidates from ward to metropolitan-level, according to party's Central Office Secretariat.

 The majority voice was for distributing tickets to candidates for municipal, sub metropolitan and metropolitan level from the centre and forming a mechanism at the district-level to give tickets for the ward and rural municipality level, as said by central member Surendra Raj Pandey. 

The meeting has been in place since Sunday.  Issues of restructuring party's organisational structure, process of selection of election candidates, the mobilisation of party sister wings and well wishers for the election purpose are other agenda of the meeting. 

Earlier the meeting constituted a central election mobilisation committee under the convenorship of party senior leader Ramchandra Poudel in view of the local level election.

A committee headed by Central member Mahesh Acharya has been formed to prepare a party manifesto for the local-level election, Office Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Poudel said.

Likewise, the meeting Sunday itself formed a 29-meber central works execution committee headed by party President Sher Bahadur Deuba. 

In today's session, central members Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Deepak Giri, Balkrishna Khand, Ananda Raj Dhungana, Mohan Basnet and Surepndra Raj Pandey put their views on a report presented by President Deuba and other contemporary issues.

Issue of post-quake reconstruction key election agenda in Kavrepalanchok

Issue of post-quake reconstruction key election agenda in Kavrepalanchok

Banepa, March 27: When will post-reconstruction works begin in true sense, and how and in what way will it take place? Why it is not getting a momentum till now?

These are most frequent questions that political parties and leaders reaching villages of Kavrepalanchok in view of the upcoming local poll face from the public sphere.

The first question the majority of Kavrepalanchok folks ask to political parties and leaders visiting their doorsteps with the hope of creating an election atmosphere is about the post-quake rebuilding issues, said CPN (Maoist Center) Kavrepalanchok chair Dinanath Gautam.

The issue of reconstruction has now become the top agenda of the election campaign. Post-earthquake rebuilding is the urgent need of the people and they   are excited about the election as they believe that would- be representatives would help them get their needs addressed, he added.

CPN (UML) district chair Tok Bahadur Waiba said the issue of reconstruction has got top priority among the people when preparations for the local level are underway.

The earthquake survivors in the district are living a miserable life, he said. The Kavrepalanchok folks are now busy in attending gatherings, training and meeting being held at the local level to make them aware of their franchise rights and encourage them to fully utilise it in local election, according to Waiba.

Nepali Congress district vice president Achyut Poudel said people raise the issue of reconstruction with a high priority before political leaders visiting people's doorsteps in view of the upcoming local poll.  Meetings, gatherings and training on the importance of elections are underway at the local level.

Major political parties, RPP Nepal, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and Madeshi Janadhikar Forum and some other fringe parties have reached the village as they seek public support in the election.

Of 25 political parties registered in the Election Office from Kavre for local election, 11 represent in the parliament.

As per the new mapping of the local level, there are seven rural municipalities and six municipalities.

The district remains as one of the 14 districts most affected by the April 25 earthquake in 2015 and its aftershocks.

Front leaders warn against holding polls sans amendment

Front leaders warn against holding polls sans amendment

Rajbiraj (Saptari), March 27: Federal Socialist Forum Nepal Chairman, Upendra Yadav, on Sunday ruled out the possibility of conducting the polls without amendment of the new constitution.

Speaking at a ceremony held to pay tribute to the five Untied Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) cadres killed in police firing at the Rajbiraj Industrial Zone in Maleth, Yadav said that Kathmandu does not have the right to conduct local elections under the existing federal set up.

Stating that the right to hold local elections in Madhes rested with Madhes government, Yadav added, "If elections need to be held it should be that of the centre. When the central election is held thereby making the local level efficient, then only should there be local level elections."

On the occasion, Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) Chairman, Mahantha Thakur, said they would accept the elections only after an amendment proposal with border demarcation was introduced.

Sadbhawana Party Chair, Rajendra Mahato, underlined the continuing discrimination at the hands of the three major parties of the country against Madhes.

National Madhes Socialist Party Chairman, Sharat Singh Bhandari, warned that if the government holds the local level elections excluding the Province no 2, then no one will be able to hold elections there again.

At the same programme, Forum Republican Chair, Raj Kishor Yadav, Nepal Sadbhawana Party Chair, Anil Jha and Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party Chair, Mahendra Rao, said it would not be feasible to hold elections by keeping the demarcation issue on hold.

The senior Front leaders also insisted on forming a single strong party to fight for the rights of Madhes.

Five UDMF cadres were killed two weeks ago in police firing as they tried to disrupt the Mechi-Mahakali Campaign of CPN (UML).