Newly elected Mayor Bimal Prasad Srivastav and deputy Mayor Purushottam Jha
Newly elected Mayor Bimal Prasad Srivastav and deputy Mayor Purushottam Jha
(Photo source : annapurnapost.com)
Bimal Prasad Srivastav, an independent candidate, has been elected to the post of Mayor of southern industrial town of Birgunj sub-metropolis, according to reports.
Latest reports say Srivastav has been elected to the post by bagging nearly 14,000 votes compared to nearly 10,000 votes bagged by his nearest rival, Pradip Subedi.
Subedi is affiliated to the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa.
Similarly, Purushottam Jha, an independent candidate, has been elected to the post of deputy Mayor of Birgunj. He beat Mohamed Huseein of RPP (Thapa).
The Election Commission is yet to announce results of the Birgunj elections.
Over 31,000 voters out of 58,100 eligible voters in the sub-metropolis had cast their votes in Wednesday’s elections.
The proposed visit of Chinese Deputy Prime Minister, Thang Jia Swang, to Nepal which was scheduled to start next week has been deferred by a month.
Reports quoting diplomatic sources said the three-day visit scheduled to start from February 16 has been postponed as the Chinese delegate has to attend the session of the Chinese People’s Congress.
The visit has been rescheduled for March 16, reports added.
The proposed high-level visit was considered very important especially at a time when the royal government has been facing criticism from the international community including India, USA, UK and the European Union for its position regarding the restoration of democratic process.
The Chinese Deputy PM who was to visit Nepal at the invitation of vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers, Kirti Nidhi Bista, was also scheduled to meet some opposition leaders.
At a time when Nepal’s major donors of military aid have suspended military aid China recently delivered a military consignment which included arms and ammunition. The northern neighbour has termed the current political crisis in Nepal as an internal matter.
The government has said that comments made by the international community on the recent municipal polls amount to interference into the internal affairs and sovereignty of Nepal.
A press release issued by the spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Saturday said the government does not have any alternative to election to bring the democratic processes back on track.
The MoFA said the comments by other countries are “unfortunate and unacceptable” and added that only election would give the government a constitutional legality and enhance the democratic system. “The polls have secured the right of people to choose their representatives amid threats and insecurity.”
The government also asked the international community not to maintain double standard in matters of democracy and terrorism.
“We have repeatedly called on the political parties to take part in election. But they chose to protest against most democratic processes,” the release stated, adding that activities of the mainstream political parties would not help strengthen the democratic process in the country.
On Friday, vice chairman of the council of ministers Dr. Tulsi Giri described the international comments as being “narrow minded”.
Countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Japan and the European Union have criticized Wednesday’s municipal polls, saying they would not recognize the result.
The US marked the polls as ‘a hollow attempt’ of the king to legitimize his authority and Japan said that elections were held “without a broad support” of the Nepali people. Southern neighbor India questioned the credibility of the election that was participated by less than one-fourth of the total voters while the UK marked the municipal election as a meaningless exercise.
Processes for labelling alcohols and cigarettes with hologram sticker are in the final stage, according to reports.
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has received the first consignment of stickers from overseas printers – Perum Perumnas of Indonesia – on Saturday and others would arrive very soon, Kantipur daily quoted Rana Bahadur Shrestha, acting director general of the department, as saying.
The company was given the contract of printing stickers and supplying a total of 800 million stickers within a year. IRD received 300 million stickers on Saturday.
These excise stickers have been ordered in 16 different types. Each type would categorise the specific strength of liquor and sizes of bottles.
However, the department has not mentioned when it would start the labelling process. Enforcement of the new provision may be delayed as the department is yet to give specification of labelling to concerned business companies.
A meeting between the department officials and businessmen scheduled for February 27 is expected to finalise the specification and criteria of labelling that the manufacturers need to meet.
The government had announced to label liquors with such stickers in last year’s budget announcement. Accordingly, the department had last year asked the manufacturers to set up a machine in their plants for that purpose. However, the manufacturers have been deferring the installation of plants, seeking specification of stickers.
The government has said the exercise was devised after a study revealed that the existing system of labelling excise stickers on cartons have made it easy for manufacturers to evade taxes. The Ministry of Finance estimates that revenue leakage in liquor industry is about 40 percent.
A mayoral candidate of Biratnagar Sub-metropolitan City, whose canvassing was carried out by Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, has lost the elections, securing third position.
Binod Aryal, an independent candidate for the post mayor of the sub-metro was supported by Manisha during his election campaign that invited sharp reaction leading to burning of her effigies all over the country.
Aryal secured only 2,700 votes out of the total 34,776 votes cast in the municipality. The winner in the mayoral seat, Pralhad Prasad Shah, a candidate of Rastriya Prajatantra Party led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa, received 7,645 votes. Shah’s nearest rival, Yadu Bansha Shah of Nepal Sadbhawana Party, secured 4,771 votes.
Biratnagar sub-metro has over 95,000 voters.
Manisha stayed in Biratnagar for nearly a month asking people to take part in the polls. Students and political parties had called the people to boycott her movies as part of the reaction against her campaign for polls. The Bollywood actress is to leave Nepal on Sunday.
Nepal Engineers’ Association on Saturday demanded immediate and unconditional release of its president, Saroj Devkota, along with others arrested from peaceful rallies ahead of the municipal polls.
Talking to Nepalnews during their sit-in protest at the association’s city office at Jamal, Kathmandu, acting president Shalik Ram Singh said that they would be forced to start stronger programmes against the illegal arrest of leaders, engineers, professors and student leaders.
“We will give a week’s ultimatum to the government to meet our demands,” said Singh. We have been protesting peacefully, but if government continues to turn deaf ear to our demand, we will have no option than to take stronger methods of protest, he added.
Singh informed that engineers would launch strikes in supply of water and electricity for an hour and might ultimately go for general strike.
President Devkota was arrested from Tripureshwor while participating in a protest rally organised by Professional Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD) against the polls. He, along with some professors, teachers and human rights activists, has been given a three-month detention letter.
The Maoists on Saturday released nine more persons they had abducted during their attack in Dankuta district headquarters last Tuesday.
The hostages were released this afternoon from Rajarani area, Dhankuta, in the presence of media persons and human rights activists, reports said.
Those released were officials of the Regional Administration Office Phadindra Pokharel, Shovakar Regmi and Dasharath Rumdali, registrar of the Dhankuta-based Appellate Court, Pashupati Acharya, Khageshwar Bhattarai, an official of the Land Revenue Office, and four other civil servants namely Lokendra Kunwar, Tularam Pahari, Kharidar Dorna Rai and Govinda Mahat.
The rebels who had released two hostages on Thursday are yet to free four others – one civil servant and three security men.
Independent candidates won the majority of the mayors posts across the country followed by the Kamal Thapa led Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).
The results of 35 municipalities are announced so far. Eighteen mayors and 14 deputy mayors were elected as independent candidates. The RPP led by Kamal Thapa won 15 mayoral and 14 deputy mayoral post. Likewise, Nepal Sadbhawana party won two posts of mayors and four deputy mayors. Samajbadi Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Rastrabadi) and Nepal Samata Party won one deputy mayoral post each in the municipal elections. The result of Birjung municipality is yet to be announced.
In other posts, independent candidates and candidates of RPP (Thapa), NSP and other parties won the elections.
Rajaram Shrestha
Rajaram Shrestha (File Photo)
Rajaram Shrestha of RPP led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa won the municipal election for the post of Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Independent candidate Dhruba Maharjan won the mayoral post in Kritipur municipality with 5,468 votes. Surya Hari and Shankhadev of RPP (Thapa) became mayor and deputy mayors respectively in Thimi municipality.
Bhimsen Thapa of RPP (Thapa) was elected mayor of Pokhara while Hari Bahadur Harijan, also of RPP (Thapa), was elected mayor of Lekhnath municipality, according to reports.
In Bidur municipality of Nuwakot, independent candidate Kaman Singh Lama was elected mayor. Mina Kumari Tamang was elected deputy mayor.
Independent candidate KP Palungwa was elected mayor of Dharan. Daan Bahadur Bista bagged the mayoral post in Itahari with 2,012 votes. Independent candidate Nur Mohammad Miyan was elected deputy mayor with 1,681 votes.
In Inaruwa, independent candidate Hom Bahadur Rana Magar was elected mayor with 1,603 votes. Independent candidate Ram Dev Chaudhari was elected deputy mayor with 1,567 votes.
Independent candidate Prem Prasad Shrestha was elected mayor of Malangawa of Sarlahi with 1,582 votes. Nawal Kishor Bhandari of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (NSP) was elected deputy mayor with 1,555 votes.
In Janakpur, independent candidate Raj Dev Mishra beat Bechan Shah of Rastriya Bikas Party for the mayor’s post. Independent candidate Sudha Giri was elected deputy mayor.
In Rajbiraj, Mahi Dev Prasad Chaudhari of NSP was elected mayor and Revati Raman Chaudhari, also of NSP, deputy mayor.
Independent candidate Asheshwor Yadav beat Mohan Prasad Shrestha for the post of Siraha municipality mayor. Independent candidate Ashok Kumar Yadav was elected deputy mayor.
In Mahottari, Ram Shankar Shah of RPP (Thapa) won the mayoral post of Jaleshwor municipality while Asgar Ansari of the same party was elected deputy mayor.
A report from Dang said Bali Bhadra Rana and Krishna Bahadur KC were elected mayor and deputy mayor respectively of Tribhuvannagar Municipality. In Mahendranagar, Tej Bahadur Bhandari and Dil Bahadur Nath of RPP (Thapa) were elected mayor and deputy mayor respectively.
In Hetauda municipality, Madhu Adhikari and Ram Hari Neupane of RPP (Thapa) were elected mayor and deputy mayor. In Kalaiya, independent candidate Sushil Chaugain was elected mayor. Mohammad Manjur Alam Ansari of Samajbadi Party was elected deputy mayor.
Prem Lal Maharjan
Prem Lal Maharjan (File Photo)
Prem Lal Maharjan, independent candidate of Lalitpur sub-metripolis got 10,826 votes, largest by any candidate to be elected as mayor, while Hari Bahadur Harijan, a candidate for the post of mayor in Lekhnath municipality from the Kamal Thapa led-RPP needed mere 401 votes to win.
Meanwhile, Shailaja Pandey, a candidate fighting for deputy mayor post in the KMC representing Nepal Samata Party, expressed her dissatisfaction over the vote counting saying ballots which were not stamped were also counted as valid votes.
“We have protested against the system of vote counting. We demand re-counting,” reports quoted her as saying.
Krishna Bahadur Shahi, an independent candidate for mayor’s post in Kathmandu also alleged irregularities in the polls.
However, EC spokesperson Bajracharya said the EC cannot alter any declaration made by the District Election Office.
Election was held in 36 out of 58 municipalities across the country on Wednesday.
After United States and Japan, India also questioned the credibility of the municipal elections conducted in the country on Wednesday.
According to a statement issued by India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Navtej Sarna, “Any credible electoral exercise should have the active involvement and participation of all the mainstream parties,” adding, “Only then would such elections be able to contribute to the restoration of democracy and political stability. The fact is that the elections have been held against the backdrop of a boycott by the major recognised political parties, sharp curtailment of their legitimate activities and continued arrest and detention in various forms of many of their leaders.”
The statement further said, “We are of the view that the grave challenges facing Nepal demand the initiation of a genuine process of national reconciliation, dialogue and participation which can facilitate a peaceful political settlement.”
Earlier, United States marked the polls as ‘a hollow attempt’ and called on the King to release political detainees and open dialogue with the political parties.
Japan has also ‘deplored’ the way the elections were held “without a broad support” of the Nepali people.
India and the US have been stalling military assistance to Nepal following the February 1 royal takeover of last year, marking the move as setback to democracy.
The Himsa Birodh Abhiyan (Campaign against Violence) has called on the Maoists to immediately declare a ceasefire in order to help achieve political resolution and reinstatement of peace.
“The Campaign believes that only a ceasefire will promote a peaceful political evolution under the current context. At a time when the state establishment is bent on suppression of political forces and shows no inclination itself to call a ceasefire, the Campaign believes that a cessation of fire by the CPN (Maoist) can have the result of restraining the state”, the release states.
Saying that it does not seem possible that the 12-point understanding of November 2005 between the Maoists and the political parties can be implemented in the absence of a ceasefire, the Campaign recalls that the four-month ceasefire had the result of partially restoring the political image of the CPN (Maoist), and resuming the ceasefire would have the same effect, the release says.
A ceasefire would also be a natural corollary to the publicly expressed commitment to non-violent political change by the senior-most Maoist leader in a newspaper interview, it adds.