Local election in Province 2 to take place in third phase


Kathmandu, June 15: The government is to organize the local level election in Province No. 2 in the third phase to ensure the participation of the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) in the local election.
          The ruling parties have agreed to hold the local election in Province 2 in the third phase after the RJPN stated that it was not going to take part in the election until its demands were met.
          Second-phase local level election was scheduled to be held in Province Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 7 on June 28. The first-phase local level election has already taken place in Province Nos. 3, 4 and 6 on May 14.
          Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi said the leaders of the ruling parties and the RJPN in discussions held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Singha Durbar today reached to an understanding to hold the election in Province 2 in third phase in consultation with the Election Commission while holding the election in the rest of the provinces on the slated date of June 28.
          Nidhi, who also participated in the discussions, said the today's discussions have been very fruitful in the context of the ongoing home work and every efforts being made towards bringing the RJPN aboard the election.
          He added that after this agreement they would now request the Election Commission to extend the time for nomination of candidacy for the June 28 election by some days.
          CPN (Maoist Centre) spokesperson Pampha Bhusal said they expected the RJPN to now join the election after reaching this understanding. She added that the government would take the required more decisions in consultation with the Election Commission.
          Home Minister Janardan Sharma said discussions were held on holding the local level election in Province 2 in the third phase based on political consensus although it was possible in terms of security to hold the election in all provinces.
          In a meeting between the ruling parties and the Election Commission officials held earlier today, the Election Commission had suggested to the government and the parties not to take the election to the third phase as far as possible.

          Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel said the election commission had stated that postponing the date of the local level election from time to time would be a 'political and electoral disaster' due to the time pressure owing to the constitutional requirement, the country's geographical situation and the need to conduct other levels of elections as well.