Pokhara, May 7

Election fever has gripped the country’s largest metropolitan city – Pokhara Lekhnath election – and the candidates of different forces contesting for various posts have been doing everything possible to influence voters — including the promise of fulfilling big dreams after victory in the local level polls slated for May 14.

The candidates have intensified their door to door campaign of late.

Both the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have fielded all their candidates in all 33 wards of the metropolis, while CPN-Maoist Centre has picked its candidates in some wards only.

As per the central level understanding, CPN-MC is supposed to support Nepali Congress for the mayoral candidate in the lake city. Bishwo Prakash Lamichhane of the CPN-MC withdrew his candidacy.

Of the 17 mayoral candidates of different parties in the Lake city, Lamichhane withdrew his candidacy as per the party’s directive. There are 11 candidates vying for the post of deputy mayor in the largest metropolis.

Nepali Congress has fielded Ramji Kunwar and Saraswoti Gurung as its mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates respectively in Pokhara Lekhnath while CPN-Maoist Centre picked Goma Dhakal as its deputy mayoral candidate.

Similarly, CPN-UML has picked Man Bahadur GC and Manju Devi Gurung as its mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates respectively in the metropolis. GC is the party’s alternative central member and the party’s district in-charge, while Gurung is All Nepal Women’s Association Kaski chairperson and district committee member.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party has fielded Gita Gurung as mayoral candidate and Ramesh Bahadur Khatri as deputy mayoral candidate, while Federal Socialist Forum and Naya Shakti Party-Nepal have picked Hum Gurung and Laxmi Khati respectively as their common candidate for mayoral and deputy mayoral posts in Pokhara Lekhnath metropolis. Moti Giri and Goma Kumari Thapa Rayamajhi have filed their candidacy for the mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates respectively from Akhanda Nepal Party.

CPN Samyukta has picked Prem Kaji Gurung as its mayoral candidate while Tek Nath Bhandari has been chosen by the CPN-ML. Pariwar Dal has fielded Kalpana Baral for the post of mayor. Likewise, Rastriya Janamorcha has fielded Chandra Bahadur KC and Jamuna Khatri as mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates respectively. Purba Rastra Sewak Loktantrik Party’s Madhukar Neupane and Rastriya Mukti Andolan Nepal’s Rishi Prasad Timilsina are going to contest for the mayoral post.

Aman Bikram Thapa, Resham Panthi, Padam Bahadur Gurung and Mahendra Kumar Thapa are independent candidates for the mayoral posts while youth entrepreneur Siroj Koirala is contesting the deputy mayoral post.

As many as 370 candidates will be elected for various posts in the district, which has a total of 224,811 voters. Of them, 167,000 voters live in Pokhara Lekhnath metropolitan city alone.

‘Cultural and Moral city’

“I will launch various concrete plans to develop Pokhara as the best destination in the world in terms of tourism and culture. I will take all the city dwellers into confidence to make them feel ownership of the city. I will take initiatives to develop Pokhara as a cultural and moral city. I will leave no stone unturned in developing Pokhara as a well-managed and prosperous city.”