Rukum, June 15

Nepali Congress and CPN-UML today accused the CPN-Maoist Centre of obstructing the NC and UML’s election publicity campaigns in three rural municipalities of Rukum in Province 5.

NC leader Krishna Rokaya said CPN-MC cadres, who were in the camp in different villages, have chased NC cadres away from the villages when they came to campaign. “The situation is always tense in the villages,” he added.

He said CPN-MC cadres had chased the election publicity team led by former minister Gopal Shah who reached Nayagad Bazaar in Sisne Rural Municipality campaigning today. “They chased NC cadres away saying that the place was the CPN-MC’s base area and no one was allowed to enter,” he said.

Similarly, the CPN-MC cadres did not allow CPN-UML cadres’ election publicity team led by chair candidate Nanda Lal Sharma to enter Sisne Rural Municipality for election publicity campaign. “CPN-MC cadres have not allowed other parties’ cadres to enter the villages for election related activities for the past one week,” he said. Sharma added that CPN-MC cadres even had even threatened candidates.

NC Rukum President Prem Prakash Oli said CPN-MC cadres have behaved in the same way in Prithauttarganga and Bhume rural municipalities.

“The CPN-MC has been showing the same behavior as in the past,” he added. According to Oli, the Election Commission has to take these matters seriously.

Meanwhile, CPN-MC said that the NC and UML’s charge was baseless and false. Youth leader Subodh Serpali of CPN-MC claimed that no one was obstructed by his party in poll campaigning.