Okhaldhunga, October 15
The Tingla village in Solukhumbu district which had boycotted the second phase of local level elections on June 28 is likely to continue the boycott in upcoming provincial and federal parliamentary elections as well.
Locals in Ward 6 of Necha Salyan Rural Municipality have been protesting the decision to make it a part of Necha Salyan. They demand that the village be included in the Solu Dudhkunda Rural Municipality.
Therefore, despite the beginning of formal election procedures today, the village is not excited to the polls to be held in the district on November 26.
Further, the villagers have warned political parties and their candidates against carrying out any election campaign in the village.
“We will not let them do any election-related activities until our demands are met,” a local Maoist leader Lalit Bahadur Karki says, “We were not included in the rural municipality, which had its headquarters in the distance of 30 minutes, but we were forced to join the local unit which is six hour away. We are ready to die, but will not let elections be held.”
Karki was kept in police custody for 17 days for campaigning against the elections in June.
There are total 945 households and everyone is determined to boycott the polls.
Local CPN-UML leader Nara Bahadur Katuwal says the newly elected leadership of Salyan Necha Rural Municipality has already endorsed the locals’ demand to be included in the Solu Dudhkunda Rural Municipality. However, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has not addressed the demand, he claims.
In protest, the locals have been boycotting the elected leadership and services provided by the local body.
