The poll fever may have gripped Madhes, but the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N)’s launching of a fresh round of protest against the local level elections has left locals in confusion in the southern plains.

People living in Madhes have urged RJP-N leaders to resolve the disputes with the government soon and take part in the elections. “The condition is getting worse now. We cannot join the elections until our demands are addressed,” said one of the possible candidates from the RJP-N in Banke, while expressing fear of a backlash if they boycott the elections.

Over the past two weeks, the Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum-Nepal (SSF-N) and the RJP-N have intensified their election activities in Banke. However, the local RJP-N leaders have been saddened by the party leadership’s decision to resume protests.

Bijaya Kumar Gupta, an RJP-N leader, said the move from the central level smacked of conspiracy. “In the meantime, our demands have been overshadowed and we don’t have election symbol yet,” said Gupta.

Meanwhile, the SSF-N and the Nepal Loktantrik Forum have continued their canvassing for votes in Banke.

Torch rally held in Rajbiraj

SAPTARI: Activists of the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N), a unified force of six-Madhesi parties that announced a series of protests against local elections, took out a torch rally in Rajbiraj, the district headquarters of Saptari, on Saturday evening.

The rally converged into a corner meet at Jana Andolan Chowk after moving around the town. The protesters chanted slogans against the government and major political parties. Addressing the corner meet, RJP-N leaders warned that they would disrupt the local polls set to be held without amending the constitution. The protesting RJP-N also took out torch rallies in various Tarai districts. (PR)