Siraha, September 2

Major political parties in Siraha are yet to finalise candidates for the third round of civic polls slated for September 18 in Province 2 even as the date for filing nominations is just a few days away.

Nepali Congress district president Ram Chandra Yadav said the party would finalise its candidates of all local levels in the district by tomorrow evening. “We have been holding discussion to finalise the candidates for most of the rural municipalities and other municipalities,” he said, adding that it took time to finalise the candidates as there were many aspirants in the party.

He further informed that the party had finalised Pancha Lal Mahato as mayoral candidate for Dhangadhimai Municipality, Ram Kumar Yadav for Sukhipur Municipality, Raj Dev Sah (Lal Babu) for Gol Bazaar Municipality, Sita Ram Yadav for Mirchaiya Municipality, Subash Yadav for Siraha Municipality.

Similarly, the NC has also finalised Bijaya Maurabaita Yadav for the mayoral post of Karjanha Municipality. The party has also recommended Chatarananda Thakur’s name for the chair of Laxmipur Patari Rural Municipality. Ram Chandra said the party had finalised its candidates for seven different local levels of nine rural municipalities and eight municipalities in Siraha today.

The CPN-UML had already finalised the candidates’ name in 15 local levels of Siraha during the second round of civic polls. The party did not change the candidates’ name for the third round of local level elections in the district.

UML District Secretary Yogendra Prasad Singh said the central committee would finalise the candidates’ name for Dhangadhi Municipality and Aaurahi Rural Municipality.

The CPN-Maoist Centre has also finalised the candidates’ names in almost all local levels in the district, but the party has

not made the names public. Although the CPN-MC has decided to offer tickets to Khadga Narayan Chaudhary for the mayoral candidate in Lahan Municipality, Hari Narayan Chaudhary in Dhangadhimai Municipality, Dev Nath

Sah in Gol Bazaar Municipality, but the party has not announced the names officially.

The party’s election coordination committee Siraha coordinator Ram Kumar Yadav said the candidates had been finalised in almost all local levels.

Federal Socialist Forum has not finalised its candidates in the district yet. District Chairman Badal Prasad Yadav of the party said the party had been holding discussion to finalise the candidates. The party has, however, finalised candidates in some municipalities and rural municipalities.

Same goes with the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal too.  RJP-N Siraha coordinator Ram Bahadur Mahato said they had been facing problems to finalise the candidates due to limited time. He said the party had taken the decision to take part in the civic polls very late. “The name list of the party candidates will be finalised by Sunday,” he informed.