Accusing the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) of violating the agreement of using a common election symbol in the newly announced left alliance, the Naya Shakti Party, Nepal has decided to go to the federal and provincial elections with its own poll symbol.

The Naya Shakti’s decision is an indication that the party was not happy with the latest developments in the sharing of candidates among the three members of the alliance announced on October 3.

During the announcement of the alliance, Naya Shakti coordinator Baburam Bhattarai had agreed to contest the election under “sun” the UML’s election symbol.

However, a meeting of the party’s extended secretariat on Friday decided to field its candidates in all the constituencies using “eye” as the symbol claiming that alliance members UML and the Maoist Centre had violated the agreement.

Asked if the decision meant the party has walked out of the alliance, secretariat member Devendra Parajuli said they have not yet taken such a move and that the Naya Shakti was free to take an independent decision.

Naya Shakti secretariat members had accused some Maoist leaders including Narayan Kaji Shrestha of “working to break the alliance”. Sources said Bhattarai was unhappy after the UML and the Maoist Centre failed to allot Gorkha-2 to him for the polls.

Shrestha said his party had decided to field him from Gorkha-2. “The Maoist Centre has recommended Hari Adhikary from Gorkha-1 and me from Gorkha-2,” Shrestha said, suggesting that Bhattarai could contest the polls from Kathmandu.

The Naya Shakti has started preparing the list of candidates for proportional representation election. Friday’s meeting decided to forge an electoral alliance with all the forces except those that are against republicanism, federalism, secularism and inclusiveness.

The party would field its candidates in all the federal and provincial constituencies except in those where it forms alliance with other forces.

The party said Krishna Kumar Chaudhary would contest from Kailali-3, Dan Bahadur Chaudhary from Kapilvastu-1, Prem Tamang from Rasuwa and Madan Rai from Khotang.