Biratnagar, January 23 :

Election activities have “not started’ in Biratnagar though barely two weeks are left for municipal polls to take place. The Election Commission (EC) office in Biratnagar said, however, that all preparations are over for the voting scheduled for February 8.

According to Mahesh Raj Timsina, assistant election officer, the EC has initiated distributing pamphlets to heat election activities here. Nepal Samata Party will kick start its publicity campaign about the polls after the registration of candidates on January 26, said Muhammad Mujahiddin. He is a possible candidate for the post of mayor in Biratnagar.

Meanwhile, seven agitating political parties are actively launching poll boycott programmes in Jhapa. They have formed poll-boycott panels in every ward of the three municipalities — Damak, Mechinagar and Bhadrapur — and urged the people not to cast their votes. Devendra Dahal, district secretary of the CPN-UML, said: “The people are supporting political parties.” A week-long door-to-door programme concluded today. A cycle rally will be organised in Damak tomorrow that will announce the boycott of polls formally, Dahal said.

No candidate has registered his/her name for the municipal polls in Jhapa district till today.