Surkhet/ Ramechhap, October 25

Most of the candidates who filed their candidacies as rebels venting dissatisfaction at the UML-Maoist Centre’s electoral alliance withdrew their nominations in Province 6 today.

After the UML and CPN-Maoist Centre warn of stern action, rebel candidates withdrew their nominations. Of the seven districts in Province 6, rebel candidates had filed their nomination against the party’s candidates in Jajarkot, Kalikot, Mugu and Humla.

CPN-UML leader Govind Bahadur Shah had filed his candidacy as an independent to challenge the Maoist and UML’s common candidate Shakti Bahadur Basnet. Shah withdrew his candidacy to support the left alliance’s candidate.

UML leader Niraj Acharya, who had registered his nomination as a rebel candidate for the provincial assembly polls in Jajarkot, withdrew his nomination. Acharya said he had withdrawn his nomination to abide by the party decision to support the Maoist Centre’s candidate Ganesh Singh.

Similarly, all the candidates from the Maoist Centre who had filed their nomination withdrew their candidacies in Mugu. CPN-MC’s Sher Bahadur Budha had filed his nomination for the House of Representatives and Kewal Bahadur Shahi and Mangal Bahadur Shahi had registered their nominations for the provincial assembly polls in Mugu, saying the Maoist Centre’s representation was zero. All three Maoist rebel candidates withdrew their candidacies in line with the party policy of supporting UML candidates.

In Humla, Maoist Centre’s Chhaka Bahadur Lama had filed his nomination as rebel to challenge his own party’s candidate Chhimi Dorje for the House of Representatives. Lama withdrew his nomination. The Maoist centre’s Lalkesh Jaishi had filed his candidacy against the left alliance’s common candidate Dal Rawal of the UML for provincial polls. Jaishi withdrew his candidacy too.

UML Kalikot Chair National Shahi said all the rebel candidates who had filed nominations against the left alliance’s common candidates had withdrawn their candidacy in the district.

UML politburo member Yamlal Kandel said there was not a single rebel candidate from the left alliance in Province 6.

It is learnt that three CPN-MC rebel candidates who had filed nominations independently expressing dissatisfaction with the leftist alliance withdrew their nominations in  Ramechhap today. Laxmi Gurung, Hemanta Poudel and Main Kumar Moktan of the party flew to Manthali on a Nepali Army chopper to withdraw their nominations this afternoon.