Kathmandu, May 4
Cadres of Nepali Congress in Chitwan district have protested the party decision to form an alliance with the CPN-Maoist Centre for the mayoral election in Bharatpur Metropolitan City scheduled for May 14.
They chanted slogans, staged a rally and burned the effigy of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba as soon as they heard reports of the partnership.
Earlier, leaderships of two parties had agreed that the NC would support the Maoist candidate Renu Dahal in Bharatpur in exchange of the Maoist support for its candidates in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
But, the cadres protested the directive issued to NC candidate for Bharatpur mayor Dinesh Koirala to withdraw his nomination.
Sources said party’s influential central leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula was dissatisfied with Deuba’s decision to leave the top seat to PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s daughter in Bharatpur.
NC candidate Koirala is said to be loyal to Sitaula.
Sitaula had also objected the agreement during a meeting with Deuba in Kathmandu earlier. He was of the opinion that the decision should have been taken before filing the nominations.
In response, Deuba had claimed that the agreement was made in order to strengthen the ruling alliance and keep the Congress-Maoist partnership intact for long.
Another influential leader in the party, Ram Chandra Paudel, however, has supported Deuba over this issue.
