Rajbiraj, August 7

With the civic polls in Province 2 approaching, political parties in Saptari have intensified their election campaigns.

The third phase of local level elections is scheduled for September 18.

Leaders and cadres of various political parties are now busy holding discussions, meetings and publicity campaigns for the election. CPN-UML has almost finalised the names of candidates for all nine municipalities and eight rural municipalities of the district.

The UML, in the first Constituency Assembly elections, did not win even a single seat, while the party won in Constituency-4 during the second CA elections.

UML Saptari district chair Govinda Bahadur Neupane claimed that the party was strong this time around in comparison to the previous election, in the district.

Protest programmes against the UML had been held time and again in district, with the protesters perceiving party Chairman KP Oli’s past comments as being against sentiments of Madhesi people

As many as five people lost their lives in a clash during the UML’s Mechi-Mahakali campaign in March 6, early this year. Neupane claimed that his party would win elections in at least 10 different local levels of the district. He informed that the party was about to launch a month-long election campaign now.

Similarly, Nepali Congress has increased its campaigning for the election. The NC won in constituencies 5 and 6 during the second CA elections in the district. NC Saptari district President Dinesh Kumar Yadav said the party had been organising gatherings and meetings for the upcoming local level elections. He informed that the party had so far picked 40 per cent of its candidates for various local levels in the district.

Yadav claimed that the NC, as the oldest party, would win elections in most local levels in the district.

Likewise, CPN-Maoist Centre has also stepped up its campaign. The party had won three constituencies in the second CA elections. The party’s Saptari district in-charge and lawmaker Ashok Mandal said his party had already started campaigning in around 10 local levels. Umesh Kumar Yadav, another leader and lawmaker from the party informed that door-to-door campaigning would be launched from tomorrow.

Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal’s Saptari district Chairman Dinesh Yadav said the party had been organising discussions among party cadres in view of the upcoming elections. He informed that his party was in the process of selecting poll candidates for different local levels in the district. He added that the names would be made public soon.

Similarly, Saptari district Chairperson of Nepal Democratic Forum Sailesh Kumar Chaudhary said his party had so far chosen candidates for 10 local levels for the upcoming civic polls. “The party is in the course of naming candidates in the remaining local levels,” he added.

He said they had been organising voter education campaigns, meetings and publicity campaigns along with various cultural programmes in the villages for the elections.

Leaders from Rastriya Prajatantra Party have, however, said the party was yet to decide whether to contest the elections. They said a discussion was being held at the central level in this regard.