CHITWAN: An unidentified group kidnapped ward chair candidate Prem Bahadur Rimal of Rapti  Municipality from his municipality-based house in Chitwan on Saturday. Rimal, 70, had filed his nomination from CPN-Maoist Centre to fight for the civic polls. The CPN-MC claimed that Netra Bikram  Chand-led CPN-Maoist cadres might have kidnapped Rimal. Police said that it has yet to be established whether the Chand-led Maoist cadres kidnapped Rimal. Further investigation into the case is under way, said  SP Dipak Thapa of District Police Office, Chitwan.

Voter collapses, dies

HETAUDA:  A youth standing in queue to cast his ballot at Batsaladevi Secondary  School voting centre in Indrasarowar Rural Municipality, Makawanpur,  died on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Birman Pakhrin, 22.  Pakhrin collapsed after losing consciousness. “The cause of the death is yet to be ascertained,” said SP Basant Kumar Lama at the District Police Office.

‘Way to decentralise’

DAMAULI: Nepali Congress leader Ramchandra Paudel described local elections as an expedient way to take state power to every nook and corner of the country. Speaking to journalists at Damauli-based Satyawati Secondary School after casting his ballot on Sunday, the NC leader expressed hope the elections would contribute to statute implementation. “As there has been an encouraging participation in the first phase election this time, it will also help in conducting the second phase election in a timely manner,” he observed, identifying elections as the lifeline of democracy.

Mourners cast ballot

HETAUDA: Of the four  brothers mourning the death of their father, three cast their vote in  Hetuada on Sunday. Dhruba Parajuli and his brother Radhakrishna Parajuli  cast voted at Tribhuvan Secondary School, while another brother Murari  Parajuli exercised his franchise from Nirmal Secondary School, Hetauda  voting centres. Purushottam Parajuli, however, abstained from voting due  to distance from the voting center. The Parajulis’ father died six days  ago. Similarly, a mother and a son mourning the death of Krishna Prasad  Timilsina cast their vote in Hetauda. Timilsina’s wife Subhadra and son  Bikesh voted. Timilsina had died five days ago. Likewise, Bharat Aryal,  who is mourning the death of his daughter-in-law Sunita, also cast his  vote in Hetauda. Sunita had died during operation at Hetauda Community  Hospital three days ago.