As vote count of the general elections nears completion and jockeying to form the government begins, Deputy General Secretary of the CPN (Maoist Centre) Barsha Man Pun is leaving for China on Sunday. Pun won the election for House of Representatives from Rolpa-1 with an overwhelming margin of over 25,000 to his nearest competitor.

Recently, Pun’s health condition deteriorated following a hectic election campaign, according to a source close to him. At one point he was almost bed-ridden, the source said.

Pun has been suffering from hereditary hyper-bilirubinemia, a kind of jaundice. His bilirubin in blood has shot up, so he needs to go for a follow-up treatment, a source close to Pun’s family said.

Pun was invited by the International Department of Communist Party of China, multiple sources told the Post, and he is visiting the northern neighbour for a follow-up treatment. If not on Sunday, he will fly to China on Tuesday, the source said. Due to Covid pandemic, China has restricted ongoing and outstanding flights.

The source expressed ignorance about Pun’s potential political engagements in China.

In November last year, Pun was taken from Bangkok to Third People’s Hospital in Shenzhen, China for the treatment. Now that he has relapsed, he needs a follow-up treatment, the source said.

If he meets with CPC leaders in China, he will discuss with them the results of the election and the prospect of re-grouping left-leaning political parties, the source said.