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From the Kathmandu Press: Wednesday, October 25, 2017

File image: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba

As the countdown to the provincial and federal elections begins in Nepal, almost all daily papers are giving priority to poll-related stories on their front pages. Here’s a summary of the day’s main stories:

Important

Situation not as bad as imagined for NC says intel report

L-R: Sher Bahadur Deuba and KP Sharma Oli

The Nepali Congress rank and file had been shaken to the core after the announcement by leftist parties a few weeks ago that they would forge an electoral alliance to contest the upcoming polls. Leftist parties have a wide support base in rural Nepal, and their alliance poses a great threat to the democratic forces, the Nepali Congress leaders had been saying. However, an intelligence report commissioned by the government says that the Nepali Congress’ position is not as worse as the leaders had imagined it to be, reports Jana Aastha weekly. The report says that the Nepali Congress will finish in the second position in the federal elections.

Maoist Centre not to recall ministers

The Kathmandu Post reports that the ruling coalition partner Maoist Centre will not recall its ministers who have been stripped of their portfolios. The report says that the party believes that its pulling out of the government would ‘send a negative message’ to the voters and could affect the electoral process.

National Assembly Ordinance sent to President

File: President Bidya Devi Bhandari addresses a World Environment Day function in Kathmandu, on Monday, June 5, 2017. Photo: RSS

Although Parliament took up the National Assembly election bill during its last few sessions before it was dissolved, parties could not reach a consensus on its provisions. Republica says that that the government has forwarded the National Assembly election ordinance with Single Transferable Vote system to the President. The single vote transfer system was first practices in the Upper House election after the restoration of democracy in 1990.

Ignored

Civil servants, security personnel to be deprived of right to vote

Rajdhani and Republica report that thousands of officials deployed for poll duty won’t get to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and provincial assembly elections in November and December. The Commission says relevant electoral laws make it illegal for anyone to vote outside of their stipulated polling centres. Around 200,000 officials will be deployed during the elections.

Interesting

 Malaysia-Nepal JV to prepare DPR for Kathmandu monorail

Representational image

Karobar reports that Kathmandu Monorail Company, a Nepali-Malaysian joint venture, will receive the government contract to prepare a detailed project report for the proposed monorail project in Kathmandu. The paper says that company will be given a year to prepare the DPR for a 27km-long monorail track inside Kathmandu’s Ring Road.

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