Kavre, April 29

As the deadline for filing for candidacy approaches, internal rifts have increased in major political parties in Kavre, making it difficult for them to pick candidates to run for various posts in the civic polls in Kavre.

Central and local level leaders of major parties like the CPN-UML, the Nepali Congress, and CPN-Maoist Centre are reportedly lobbying for tickets to candidates favourable to them, and so the parties have failed to finalise the list of party candidates yet.

“Various factions led by different individuals want their own candidates, making it difficult for the party to finalise the list of candidates,” said a UML district level leader.

The NC, the UML, and the CPN-MC have picked candidates for some wards. “Factionalism is responsible for the failure to select candidates”, said one NC leader, adding that the candidates should have by now begun campaigning for the election with well-prepared agendas.

A rift has emerged between former NC district chair of Kavre Shiv Prasad Humagai and incumbent district chair Madhu Prasad Acharya over the selection of party candidates. Similarly, UML Kavre party chair Tok Bahadur Waiwa and vice-chair Ashok Rai don’t see eye-to-eye over the list of candidates. Kavre Maoist Centre is also divided on the issue of candidacy.

As many as 237,000 voters from 135 wards of six municipalities and seven rural municipalities in the district will cast their ballots in the polls. The civic polls will elect 733 people’s representatives.

Meanwhile, the CPN-UML has decided to nominate Laxminar Singh Bade and Rekha Dahal as their candidates for the posts of Banepa Municipality’s mayor and deputy mayor. Ashok Byanju and Bimala Sharma are candidates representing the UML for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor of Dhulikhel Municipality.

The Nepali Congress has picked Mahesh Kharel as its candidate for mayor of Panchkhal Municipality.

The NC has decided to field Achyut Paudel as a mayoral candidate from Deupur Municipality.

The UCPN-Maoist Centre has picked Rita Dhakal and Niranjan Bista for mayoral and deputy mayoral posts of Deupur municipality.

The CPN-UML has finalised the names of 73 persons unanimously for the 73 posts of ward chairs in the district.