Kathmandu, November 5
Some cadres of the ruling Nepal Communist Party have padlocked the party’s district office in Bhaktapur district on Monday protesting the party secretariat’s decision over its candidate for the November 30 by-election for a Provincial Assembly seat representing Bhaktapur-1(A).
The secretariat had decided to field Devi Prasad (DP) Dhakal, who represents the former CPN-Maoist Centre side. However, the cadres of former CPN-UML said their side should be given the ticket and padlocked the office pushing it to change the decision.
The dissident side has claimed that Dhakal should not be fielded in the polls as he had filed a candidacy for the same position against the party’s official candidate in the 2017 elections. The Maoist side, however, does not agree and says though Dhakal could not withdraw the candidacy technically, he had supported the party’s official candidate Hari Sharan Lamichhane.
The election is being held on the last day of this month to fill the vacancy created after Lamichhane’s untimely death.
