Nine persons were injured when a bomb went off near the office of the election officer at Vadganga Municipality in Kapilvastu district on Sunday afternoon as the candidates were preparing to file nominations for the second phase of local level elections.

District police chief DSP Prahlad Adhikari said the device exploded when a joint panel of the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) was heading towards the election office to file nominations.

Lal Bahadur Tharu, 38, and Sesh Ram Gupta, 45, of the municipality are critically hurt. All the injured, including a seven-month-old girl, were referred to Butwal for treatment. Police suspect that the device to be a time bomb. “We are yet to identify the suspects,” said DSP Adhikari.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, however, said sporadic incidents of violence were reported. The violence, however, did not deter the candidates from registering for the vote.

At least 455 cadres of the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal were arrested from across the country on Sunday, the RJP-N said in a statement.

The cadres of the party opposing the polls were detained as they tried to foil the nomination process in provinces 1, 5, 7 for the June 28 vote.

The RJP-N had announced a banda to foil the election process. The largest number of RJP-N cadres—50—was arrested from Dhanusha. In Saptari, police detained more than a dozen protesters of the RJP-N.

Two RJP-N cadres were reportedly caught from Dhangadhi, Kailali, while four were detained from Gulariya, Bardiya.

Twenty RJP-N cadres were arrested from Nepalgunj, Banke while 11 and five cadres of the newly formed party were nabbed from Taulihawa and Krishnanagar, respectively, in Kapilvastu district.

In Banke district, cadres of the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist-Centre) clashed in Baijanath apparently after Maoist cadres held a rally near the UML’s assembly venue.

The UML has alleged police manhandling of its lawmaker Dal Bahadur Sunar.

(With inputs from our local correspondents)

Hurt in clash, UML cadres dies

BAJURA: CPN-UML cadre Hansa Rawat died when supporters of the party clashed with and Nepali Congress cadres at Chhededaha Village Council in Bajura district on Sunday.

Rawat, 55, was on the way to the election office for the nomination process when the clash erupted.

Seriously injured Rawat breathed his last while being brought to the district headquarters, Martadi, for treatment.

According to DSP Dal Bahadur Bogati, around 30 cadres on both sides sustained injuries. (PR)