Hours after the government decided to reschedule the second phase of local elections for June 28, the agitating Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) on Wednesday announced fresh protests.

“For one week, we will hold soft programmes at local, district and provincial levels,” said Rajendra Mahato of the RJP-N. “Protests will take bigger forms if the government fails to address our demands.”

The government move of changing the voting date is aimed at bringing the RJP-N on board the poll process, but its leaders have been saying that they will boycott the elections if their demands of constitution amendment and revision of number and boundaries of local units in Tarai districts, among others remain unaddressed. 

“We have rescheduled our protests, we have not called them off,” said Mahato. 

Earlier on Wednesday the RJP-N said it was withdrawing general strikes called for Thursday and Friday. 

The RJP-N had announced strikes in Tarai districts for Thursday and Friday with a view to disrupting the nomination filing process. 

As per the earlier election schedule, which was prepared in view of June 14 polls, nomination filing date was set for Friday. 

An earlier government decision to postpone polls for 10 days to June 23 was revised again on Wednesday in view of the Ramadan festival being observed by the Muslim community.