Rukumkot, November 21

The CPN-Maoist Centre in East Rukum has decided to conclude its campaign in Chunwang, a historical place for the Maoists during the insurgency.

Chunwang is from where then CPN (Maoist) floated conditions for a roundtable conference, interim government and Constituent Assembly election to join the peace process. Maoists participated in the peace process after the decision reached at meetings in Chunwang.

CPN-MC candidate Kamala Roka will address voters in Chunwang on Thursday, the last day for campaigning for the November 26 election. “I have decided to organise my last election campaign at Chunwang on the final day, considering its historical importance,” Roka told THT. Chunwang, separated from Rukum district, is located in the newly created Rukum East district.

Roka is the single parliamentary first-past-the-post election candidate from the CPN-MC. Roka had addressed voters in Rukumkot yesterday. She said she had started her election publicity on October 27 in CPN-MC stronghold of Rukum East.

Tej Bahadur Oli and Purna Bahadur Gharti are provincial FPTP candidates from the CPN-MC. The party has fielded Puni Raj Gharti and Dipendra Chhantyal as PR provincial candidates.

The Nepali Congress has fielded Harishankar Gharti as FPTP candidate. NC provincial FPTP candidate Datta Bahadur Basnet said his party had formed two separate teams for poll preparation. Dudha Kumar Pun is another NC provincial FPTP candidate. Similarly, Kusum Devi Thapa is the NC’s PR candidate for provincial election.

To avoid clashes between party workers, NC and CPN-MC have fixed separate campaign routes.

“We have arranged security to avoid clash between the two parties” said Chief District Officer Bhupendra Sapkota. He added that the administration has directed security agencies to strictly control anti-poll activities.

According to Sapkota, cadres from Netra Bikram Chanda-led Nepal Communist Party, police who deserted service, ex-combatants, geographical complexity, adverse weather condition and misuse of home-made weapons posed the main challenges to the authorities.

The government has deployed 281 armed police force, 290 army, 28 bomb disposal teams, 286 temporary police, 255 Nepal police and 341 civil servants for election in the district.

Out of 31 polling stations in East Rukum, the government identified 17 as highly sensitive, 12 as sensitive and two as normal, said CDO Sapkota.