KATHMANDU: The CPN (Maoist Center) has hinted that it would not form an alliance in the by-election in the Ilam-2 constituency of the House of Representatives.
Maoist Center supporters have not been able to vote for their candidates in the constituency since the second Constituent Assembly election of 2013.
District-level leaders of the party said they have begun preparations to press the party leadership so that Maoist Center supporters can vote using the party’s symbol, the sickle and hammer.
The decision of whom to make a candidate in the by-election and whether to form an alliance or not rests with the central leadership of the party and the ruling alliance. The district leaders have no choice as to what to do if the center decides not to field a party candidate.
The Election Commission is holding in the constituency that got vacated due to the demise of CPN-UML Vice President Subash Chandra Nembang.
Maoist Center leaders say Maoist Center must give candidacy in the election to protect its vote bank. “Since this is not a general election, the ruling coalition partners can also field their candidates,” CPN (Maoist Center) leader in Koshi Province Assembly, Indra Angbo, said. “We have relayed this message to the center.”
Maoist Center didn’t contest in Ilam-2 as it was a party of the left alliance in the 2017 polls. Likewise, it supported the candidate of Nepali Congress in the 2022 election.
“We have decided to contest the election on our own. The ruling coalition should support our candidate,” Maoist Center’s district leader Prakash Pariyar said.
Maoist Center has hinted that it would field its candidate if the ruling coalition decides not to field its candidate. “We will field our candidate even if that means breaking the alliance,” an office-bearer of Maoist Center’s Koshi Province Committee said.
Maoist Center leaders say they were betrayed by the ruling coalition partners in the National Assembly election. Rukmini Koirala of CPN-UML got elected to the National Assembly by defeating Champa Karki of Maoist Center. Not only the National Assembly seat, Maoist Center leaders say the party has lost important positions in the provincial assembly due to the coalition.
Maoist Center made Koshi Speaker Baburam Gautam resign to help Uddhab Thapa of Nepali Congress become the Chief Minister. But Thapa failed to get the vote of confidence, twice.
Maoist Center leaders say Nepali Congress didn’t vote for its candidate, Kanchha Lawati, in Ilam-2(B) seat of the Koshi Province Assembly. Nepali Congress and Maoist Center had shared two provincial assembly seats in Ilam-2. While the NC candidate won the election, Maoist Center’s Lawati was defeated.
Maoist Center leaders say Nepali Congress betrayed its candidates in the local body election as well.
Dhirendra Sharma, Kanchha Lawati, and Prakash Pariyar are hopeful of getting a ticket to contest in the by-polls from the Maoist Center.
