Two major events that have received the topmost priority in prominent Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Wednesday are the National Assembly elections going to be held in six provinces of the country today and the Supreme Court’s order not to freeze controversial funds belonging to businessman Ajeya Raj Sumargi. Other contemporary political issues including parties’ preparations for provincial government formation and unification talks between the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre have also received significant attention. Likewise, many newspapers have covered the handover of an integrated model settlement constructed by comedian duo Dhurmus-Suntali in Santapur of Rautahat district on the front page.
Some newspapers have also published stories about contemporary socio-cultural and economic issues too on their front pages today.
Important
Supreme Court orders release of Sumargi’s controversial funds
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Nepal Rastra Bank not to withhold funds that businessman Ajeya Raj Sumargi was trying to bring in from Cyprus, writes Janata Post. A single bench of Justice Tej Kumar Joshi issued an interim order in response to a writ filed by Sumargi’s company, the report adds quoting his lawyer Ram Narayan Bidari.
Earlier, the central bank had withheld the money in Sumargi’s account with the Nepal Investment Bank, claiming the source of the money is not clear, informs Nagarik. Nepal Samacharpatra says the central bank had froze as much as Rs 2 billion.
The Kathmandu Post informs that the Department of Money Laundering Investigation had earlier declared the amount illegal.
The central banks and the NIBL were made defendants in the case. Meanwhile, both the sides have been summoned to the next session of hearing next week, Nagarik quotes the court official Kishor Poudel to inform.
National Assembly elections today
The Election Commission is holding the National Assembly elections on Wednesday. Organising a press conference in Kathmandu yesterday, the Commission informed that all preparations for the polls were over.
The polls will be held from 10 am to 1 pm today, according to Janata Post. Though there were 2,056 voters in total including all Provincial Assembly members and chiefs and deputy chiefs of local governments, those of Province 2 will not cast their ballots as all contenders of the Province won the polls unanimously, explains Rajdhani. Besides, a Provincial Assembly member in Province 4 has not been sworn in; therefore he will not be eligible to vote. Likewise, a Rural Municipality chief died few weeks ago. It means there will be 1,675 voters in total.
Total 56 members of the 59-member Upper House will be elected through voting. But, 24 of them have already been elected unopposed. Therefore, voting will be held for 32 positions. There are 52 candidates vying for the posts.
The constitution says the term of one third of National Assembly members will expire in two years. Therefore, the elected members will be asked to draw lots to decide their term, informs Annapurna Post.
Meanwhile, the Commission is likely to announce results of first-past-the-post elections for House of Representatives on Thursday, according to The Himalayan Times.
Forum-Nepal, RJPN fail to reach deal for Province 2 govt
The Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal proposed the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal to lead the provincial government in Province 2 turn by turn, but the Forum did not agree on the proposal. Therefore, the two parties, which contested recent provincial and federal parliamentary polls together, are still uncertain how they continue the partnership in the Madheshi population-dominated province, according to Rajdhani.
The Forum has been demanding that it be allowed to lead the government for a complete five-year term and it has expressed readiness to give the position of the provincial speaker to the alliance partner.
Republica has also carried the similar story.
The Kathmandu Post, however, claims that Forum’s Lal Babu Raut is close to the seat of Chief Minister in the Province, claiming the RJPN has agreed to let the Forum lead the government owing to its bigger size in the provincial legislature.
Ignored
Finance Ministry bars Nepal Police from recruiting 22,000 personnel
Recently, Nepal Police sent a proposal to the government to increase the workforce of national police organisation by 22,000, but the Ministry of Finance rejected the proposal, informs Karobar.
Nepal Police had argued that it needed more personnel as the country needs more security personnel after switching to the federal form of governance. The Ministry of Home Affairs had also endorsed the proposal, but the Ministry of Finance did not agree on it claiming the government did not have sufficient money for additional personnel, according to the report.
TU arrears amount to Rs 16 billion
Republica lead story for the day says the oldest and biggest academic institute of the country has an unsettled accounts of over Rs 16 billion since 1977. The university has claimed that it will settle these within next 45 days, the report says, adding the government provides the university Rs 6 billion in grant every year whereas its annual income is Rs 1.56 billion.
Interesting
22 Nepali foods to undergo calorie test for ‘globalisation’
Thanks to an initiative launched by tourism entrepreneurs including Karna Shakya to globalise Nepali foods, 22 Nepali foods will undergo a calorie test soon, according to Abhiyan lead story for the day.
The items selected for the first phase include 11 main courses, four soups, four appetisers, and three sweets, according to the report.
