Dhankuta, May 8

Political parties in Dhankuta are struggling to select candidates to run for the upcoming local-level elections, given a host of aspirants vying for poll tickets.

As the district falls in Province 1, polls will be held in Dhankuta on June 14 in the second phase. However, parties have yet to pick their candidates, mainly for top positions, in all seven local bodies.

Parties like Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN-MC and Rastriya Prajatantra Party have been saying they are on the last leg of the selection process. Most of the parties have so far selected their candidates to run for the post of chairperson of all sixty wards and ward members of 140 wards.

“As there are a host of leaders and cadres aspiring to run for the top two posts in municipalities and rural municipalities, we have sent the list to the province committee for them to take the decision,” said UML district secretariat committee member Shiva Angla.

Nepali Congress district secretary Bijaya Santoshi Rai, on his part, said his party was preparing to declare the nominees. “We have finalised the candidates for all posts at all local bodies, and are preparing to make the list public,” he said.

The CPN-MC, on the other hand, stated that party representatives were assigned to all seven local bodies of the district to select candidates. “Though we’ve finalised nominees from all rural municipalities by now, we have not selected candidates for the top two posts at municipalities,” said CPN-MC Deputy Coordinator Rishiram Dhungana.

Meanwhile, Rastriya Prajatantra Party district Vice-chairperson Tika Prasad Ghimire said his party had decided its candidates, but was waiting for other parties to make their nominee list public.

Fringe parties, such as, Naya Shakti Party-Nepal and Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, however, haven’t selected their candidates yet given the fact that poll in this district is slated to take place in the second phase.