An uncommon electoral alliance has formed in Jhapa  constituency No 3, with the decision of the Nepali Congress to field Krishna Prasad Sitaula as a first-past-the-post candidate in the federal parliament elections.  

The NC and Rastriya Prajatantra Party may have forged ‘democratic alliance’ to counter the influence of the ‘leftist alliance’ between CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre). However, in Jhapa-3   the RPP candidate, Rajendra Lingden, has received support from the left alliance.

The UML and Maoist Centre organised a press meet in Birtamod on Wednesday  to announce their support for  Lingden, a long-time rival of Sitaula.  

The NC and UML had earlier reached an agreement to field Lingden from Jhapa-3 and include Sitaula’s name in the Proportional Representation closed list. But the agreement was   overturned after Sitaula insisted on contesting in the  direct polls. 

This is the third time Sitaula and Lingden are squaring against each other in an electoral stage. 

The two leaders had first faced each other as rival in the 1999 parliamentary election from the then Jhapa constituency No 1. Sitaula had won the election then. 

The second time they met was in the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections when the voters once again favoured Sitaula. 

This time, however, Sitaula faces a major challenge with the UML and Maoist parties throwing their weights behind Lingden.

If the total votes garnered by major parties during the recent local elections are anything to go by, the NC is far behind in the fray. 

The NC had garnered 20,022 votes while the UML, the RPP and the Maoist party had obtained 15,562; 13,750 and 8,991 votes respectively. 

Three arrested for cheating people for temporary police job

Three people have been arrested in Parsa on the charge of cheating people by promising them jobs of Myadi Prahari, temporary police personnel that the government is recruiting for the upcoming elections. 

Police said Hari Narayan Ram, Basundev Yadav and Chathu Mahara Chamar were arrested after the trio was found taking money from aspirant Myadis. Superintendent of Police Ganesh Regmi said 22 examinee entrance cards, 20 forged copies of the entrance cards, five health check-up reports, three mobile telephone sets and Rs 37,100 cash were also seized from the suspects.