UCPN (Maoist), NC, UML step up election gear

KATHMANDU, JUL 28 -
With the clock ticking towards the Constituent Assembly election s announced for November 19, the main political parties , despite differences over the constituency delimitation issue, are now finalising their election manifestos.

Having already kicked off a month-long election campaign in all 240 electoral constituencies, the UCPN (Maoist) stepped up a gear on Saturday as Baburam Bhattarai-led Election Manifesto Drafting Committee (EMDC) sought views of party’s wings, sister organisations and well-wishers on what issues to include in its poll promises.

The committee also decided to hold interaction programmes in different cities for collecting suggestions for the manifesto. The party will finalise the election manifesto once the leaders deployed in all electoral constituencies turn in a report within one month.

According to leaders, the UCPN (Maoist) will appeal to the public for two-thirds majority to accomplish the remaining task of the constitution writing process. The party’s position on key constitutional issues such as directly elected president and identity-based federalism will remain unchanged, they said.

On the issue of federalism, the EMDC meeting has entrusted leaders Bishwo Nath Sah, Gopal Kirati and Lekhraj Bhatta with the task to prepare a report in the light of a ‘new context’. Bhatta is pitching for an ‘undivided Far West federal state’ within the party, while Kirati is pushing for a separate Khas province in the western hills although this is not in line with the party’s official position.

“We also have a challenge to clarify our position on identity-based federalism which is being publicised as ethnic-federalism,” said leader Bishwo Nath Sah. Another important component of the manifesto is the party’s policy on Madhes where it is working to strengthen its position.

The party has also formed a nine-member committee under Post Bahadur Bogati to prepare a name list of possible candidates.

NC poll campaign training starts

Getting on the poll campaign bandwagon, the Nepali Congress on Saturday began a three-day training for 300 cadres who will be deployed to 240 electoral constituencies to educate about party’s election policy and strategy.

According to the party, the final goal is to teach cadres about the party’s position on federalism, forms of governance and social-political transformation.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the training at the party headquarters in Sanepa, top NC leaders emphasised on holding the election s as scheduled. “Election will take place as per the 11-point and 25-point  agreements,” said NC President Sushil Koirala.

A committee under Vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel has almost finalised the party’s position on federalism, forms of governance and other issues. “We will soon submit a report to the party on several constitutional issues,” said Ram Krishna Yadav, a committee member.

UML poll committees in offing

The CPN-UML is preparing to form key election related committees within a couple of weeks.

“The Central Committee meeting will announce the manifesto drafting and election mobilising committees immediately after senior leaders return from aboard,” said UML leader Pradeep Gyawali. Senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel are returning on Sunday from a four-day India visit, while leader KP Sharma Oli is returning on Wednesday from Cambodia.

The UML is planning to announce the main election mobilising committee under the leadership of a senior leader, with none of the committee members contesting the election under the first-past-the-post system. “Many of our senior leaders who lost in the 2008 CA election s were responsible for mobilising the whole election campaign as well as their own at the same time. So, leaders involved in the election campaign will contest the election under proportional electoral system,” said Gyawali.

UML, however, has already finalised core content of its poll manifesto, according top priority to multi-identity based federalism, national sovereignty with communal harmony and directly elected prime minister as head of the government, among others.

The party is scheduled to launch a Madhes-centric election campaign before the endorsement of the election manifesto at the national cadres' gathering in the first week of September.

Chase away poll disrupters: Dahal to YCL

KAVRE: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday directed cadres of Young Community League (YCL) to chase away those who try to disrupt the Constituent Assembly election s. Referring to cadres of the poll-opposing Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist, Dahal, addressing a programme organised to mark third district convention of the YCL, said: “You drive away those who try to disrupt the polls slated for November 19.”

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