KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 16
Three key leaders of the ruling alliance - Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal commenced their election campaign today soliciting votes for the alliance's Parliamentary candidate Onsari Gharti Magar from Kathmandu Constituency No 2 and two other candidates that are contesting the provincial elections from Kathmandu-2 (a) and Kathmandu-2 (b).
Addressing a joint training programme at a party palace in Kathmandu Constituency No 2 here today, PM Deuba lauded Gharti's role as Speaker, saying she rose above the party line and took decision in the interest of the country and was the suitable candidate for Kathmandu Constituency No 2. He urged the public to vote for Gharti and two other candidates.
CPN-MC chair Dahal said Gharti was an efficient leader who could complete the assigned task successfully. He said the left and democratic forces had joined hands together long ago during the 1990 People's Movement, signing of the 12-point agreement and 2006 popular movement and no one should hesitate to vote for the candidates affiliated to the ruling coalition. He was referring to those who feared that the transfer of democratic votes to the left candidates and vice-versa might not be easy as voters had the tendency of not voting for a candidate who was ideologically different from the party of their choice.
Dahal said his signing of the 12-point agreement with the then President of Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala was akin to voting for tree symbol (the NC) and Koirala's signing of the agreement was also akin to voting for the hammer and sickle symbol (symbol of left party). Dahal said the republican order dawned in the country as a result of Koirala, Madhav Kumar Nepal and his decision to launch agitation against the monarchy.
"Had the CPN-UML leadership gained the party position through trickery, the country would not have witnessed the dawn of republican order," Dahal added.
Dahal and Nepal also said the current coalition was forged to protect the republican order and the constitution.
Nepal said there was no problem that the current coalition could not resolve.
Assistant Spokesperson for the EC Surya Prasad Aryal said the EC had amended its election code of conduct allowing the parties to carry out doorto-door programmes even before the 17 days campaigning programme started, but the EC did not expect the parties to solicit votes from the party palace where certain costs were involved and where media outlets were invited for the programmes.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 17, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
