Major Nepali and English newspapers published from Kathmandu on Thursday have prioritised a host of issues related to provincial and federal parliamentary elections scheduled for November 26 and December 7. Issues of the polls are so prominent that other significant issues from economic and socio-cultural spheres have got very little space in the front page today.
As the election dates are coming closer, major newspapers have shifted the focus to various districts in various provinces of the country from the capital. News stories dispatched from the districts have received more attention than ever in the front page these days.
Important
UML, Congress hopeful of securing majority
Naya Patrika lead story for the day says two biggest parties of the country—CPN-UML and Nepali Congress—hope that they can win majority of 165 first-past-the-post seats in the House of Representatives. It says the Congress has estimated that victory in 60 constituencies is very certain and it can add 50 more seats if it works hard. Likewise, the UML says it will win 87 seats. The party has filed nominations in 96 constituencies only as it left 62 constituencies for the CPN-Maoist Centre and seven others for other fringe parties. The Maoist Centre, however, is still waiting for reports from local units to estimate the party’s performance.
The report informs that the Rastriya Prajatantra Party says it improves the performance from local levels whereas the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Democratic is confident of winning all four constituencies that its candidates are contesting in. The Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal is hopeful of securing majority in Province 2 whereas the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal is yet to make final calculations.
Rs 50 billion need to bid farewell to ‘anti-adjustment’ staff
The Ministry of Finance has estimated that it needs around Rs 50 billion to facilitate the process of government staff adjustment in the recently created federal structure, reports Karobar in its lead story today.
The report explains that the money is needed for staff who are unwilling to get adjusted with the new structure. The government has expected that around 20,000 staff will choose the option of retirement as it pays them a hefty sum and Rs 2.7 million is needed for the retirement of one person.
Meanwhile, The Himalayan Times says, quoting spokesperson at the Ministry of General Administration Shiva Ram Neupane, that the government will be able to conclude the process of staff adjustment at three ties of local, provincial and federal governments only after one year. The report says the Ministry has sent the draft of Civil Servants Adjustment Regulations to the Ministry of Finance for approval.
Govt staff’s trade unions demand voting right
Four trade unions of government staff backed by key political parties have warned that they will resort to protest and boycott the assignment in the run-up to elections if they are not ensured of right to vote from their workplaces in upcoming provincial and federal parliamentary elections.
Annapurna Post says the unions affiliated to Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist Centre and Madhesh-centric parties have said the Election Commission must provide them with the right to vote notwithstanding which constituencies they are working in as per a recent suggestion extended from the Supreme Court.
The organisations had organised a press meet in Kathmandu yesterday to issue the warning.
Ignored
Nepali woman dies in Kuwait while fleeing confinement
The Kathmandu Post reports that a Nepali woman died in Kuwait while she was trying to escape the confinement of a manpower agent in a building at Hawally in the Arab state. The victim has been identified as Anita Shakya of Kathmandu and she was taken to Kuwait by human traffickers via India on October 16.
Ex-lawmakers yet to return vehicles
Various leaders of Parliament that dissolved in October are yet to return vehicles that the Parliament Secretariat provided them to facilitate their movement for House duties, reports Republica in its lead story today. Those yet to return the state facility include then Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar, Deputy Speaker Ganga Prasad Yadav, and lawmakers Bhishma Raj Angdembe, Kunti Kumari Shahi, Yogendra Chaudhary and Sushil Kumar Shrestha among others.
Use of children in electioneering banned
Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav says the Election Commission strictly bans the use of children in any activity related to the elections. In response to a delegation of NGOs working for child rights and education, Yadav said the Commission would not let parties mobilise and participate children in assemblies, rallies and other electioneering activities, reports Gorkhapatra.
On the occasion, Yadav also said that schools would not be used to count votes this time as far as possible so that it would not affect children’s right to education.
Interesting
PM’s wife to buy new house in Dhangadhi to avoid ‘tourist candidate’ charge
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s wife Arzu Rana is contesting the first-past-the-post parliamentary elections from Kailali-5. As opponents have accused her of being a ‘tourist candidate’, the first lady is all set to buy a new house in Dhangadhi, the district headquarters, reports Nagarik in its anchor story.
Though Rana is yet to buy the house and make the full payment, she has already been staying at the building previously owned by Sharaa Hamal.
“I have been visiting the city frequently for last 25 years so how can I be a tourist?” she says, “I am preparing to buy a new house so that I can regularly stay here.”
