Kavre, February 22

Fifty-six Unified CPN-Maoist leaders and cadres, including the district vice-chairperson, have left the party and joined the New Force led by former Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai in Kavre.

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UCPN-M Kavre district Vice-chairman Akkal Bahadur Thing and district members Krishna Bhandari, Rajiv Lama, Anita Thing, Hom Kumari Tamang, Suntali Tamang and Manbir Lama, among other local village leaders and cadres today officially declared they had left the party to join the Bhattarai-led New Force at a press conference in Banepa today.

“We feel proud of the achievements that the country and the people have got during our tenure in the party, and are ready to take responsibility for the weaknesses and mistakes on our part over the same period of time,” read a statement issued on the occasion.

Speaking about their defection from the party in favour of the New Force led by former UCPN-M leader Bhattarai, Thing, who is also a former Constituent Assembly member said, “As the chapter of agitation and revolution is over, now is the time for economic prosperity and development and it’s only the new force that can make this happen in the changed context.”

On January 4, Bhattarai’s wife Hisila had formed the New Force District Ad-hoc Committee led by Bharat Lamichhane in Kavre.