Families barred from meeting poll candidates:

Biratnagar, January 30:

Twenty-three candidates have been elected unopposed for different posts of the Biratnagar sub-metropolis.

Among the elected persons included one ward chairman and 22 ward members. Tribeni Majhi was elected unopposed as chairman of the Ward No 15. Three ward members of Ward No 1, one female representative each of Ward No 2, 5 and 9, the female representatives and three members each of Ward No 3, 6, 8 and 12 were also elected unopposed.

A total of 382 candidates had filed their nomination for 112 different posts of the sub-metropolis. Thirty had withdrawn their candidacy. The district Election Office said 329 candidates will now fight for 85 remaining posts. Nobody had filed candidacy for four seats, for which the EC would come up with a separate programme, District Election Officer Narendra Dahal said.

In Chitwan, only 29 candidates will run for a total of 139 seats in two municipalities of the district. Six candidates including mayor, deputy mayor and four ward chairmen of Ratnanagar municipality were elected unopposed. Similarly, in Bharatpur municipality, twelve candidates including ward chairmen of Ward No 2, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14 and ward members of Ward No 11 and 12 were elected unopposed.

The District Election Office provided election symbols to 11 candidates. Two persons are contesting for mayor’s post and three for depotty mayor’s post of Bharatpur municipality. Nobody had filed candidacy for many of the posts in both the municipalities.

A report from Nepalgunj said the candidates who were elected unopposed for different posts of the Nepalgunj municipality and are being kept under tight security shell have not been allowed to meet even their family members. Wife of the newly-elected ward chairman of Ward No 7, Ramu Teli, said she hasn’t met her husband since the day he filed his candidacy.

She went to the District Administration Office after hearing that her husband was elected as ward chairman but she was not allowed to meet him.

The family of Teli, who is a rickshawpuller, is now on the verge of starvation as there is noone to earn. The mother of two sons and two daughters, Gita Teli, is worried about how to feed her children.

Meanwhile, Bipin Shrestha, who was elected as mayor of the municipality, took the oath of the office today. However, seven other candidates who were also elected unopposed have not been made public yet. Mayor Shrestha has gone to Lucknow while deputy mayor Arun Thapa is in Kathmandu.

Similarly, the family of newly-elected chairman of Ward No 1, Lal Bahadur Khatri, is worried about the his safety.