Almost all broadsheet dailies (both in Nepali and English) published in Kathmandu on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, have given prominence to Sher Bahadur Deuba’s election as parliamentary party leader on their front pages. The ruling party’s (UML’s) Politburo meeting in Kathmandu has also received considerable attention. English broadsheets (The Himalayan Times and Republica) have given space to a report on the Arun Singhaniya murder case.

Important

Deuba elected parliamentary party leader

The Himalayan Times has a six-column story (on the upper fold) with a screaming headline on Deuba’s election as NC Parliamentary Party leader.  The report, which details how Deuba was elected to the post, says Deuba’s win paves the way for the Constitutional Council to convene. “The Constitution Council had not been able to hold its meeting, as the principal opposition party had no Parliamentary Party leader, who is also a member of the Constitution Council,” the report says. It says that election for 22-member PP has been scheduled for Friday. The story has a small inset saying that Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has congratulated Deuba on his victory.

Republica, meanwhile, gives the vote tally in the story’s headline itself (Deuba wins with 139 votes against Paudel’s 67). In its four-column story, the report also details how Deuba won the election,  but the point it wants to drive home is that Deuba has said NC will play the role of a strong opposition. According to the report, Deuba has urged Madheshi parties “not to be adamant in their demands.”

Annapurna Post, Nagrik Rajdhani, Nepal Samacharpatra, Naya Patrika and the state-run Gorkhapatra also carry reports along similar lines. Naya Patrika, in its lead story, stresses that Deuba secured two-third of the votes, and this means that Deuba’s camp has emerged stronger than that of Sushil Koirala when he was party chief as well as its leader in the Parliament.

UML Politburo meeting

Most papers have reports on their front pages on how Prime Minister KP Oli is facing criticism within the party for his inability to fight corruption and black marketing. According to reports, Prime Minister Oli also came under fire from the rival camp for inability to unite the party.

Nagarik, in its lead story, however, has given prominence to the Prime Minister’s new proposal on getting public investment in hydropower. The report says, “Prime Minister Oli has announced that  the government will build hydropower projects utilising money raised from the public.”

More on PM Oil’s report: Three takeaways from PM Oli’s report

US ambassador meets Prime Minister

The Himalayan Times has a report on the meeting between Prime Minister Oli and US envoy to Nepal Alaina B Teplitz. The report says that Prime Minister Oli expressed disappointment over the International Crisis Group’s latest report, which has termed the new constitution ‘divisive’. The lead, however, says the envoy expressed concern about the difficulties that ‘commoners’ have been facing in getting essential supplies. She urged PM Oli to ensure smooth supplies of essentials and daily commodities.

Ignored 

Kathmandu’s woes

Nepal Republic Media’s Republica and Nagarik both have anchor stories on their front page on problems that Kathmanduites are facing daily. While Nagarik’s story is on how Kathmandu’s ambience compares with the same in the run-up to the SAARC summit in Kathmandu in November, 2014.  Republica’s anchor talks about how women in the city are facing sexual harassment in public transport.

Karnali’s drought

Rajdhani’s anchor story for the day is on how villages in remote parts of Karnali, already dealing with severe drought, are making long, pain-staking journeys to get rice for their families. “After fuel supply became smooth, we started getting grains from the Terai to sell in Karnali,” the report quotes a local trader as saying. The trader says demand for rice in Karnali has shot up by more than 90 per cent this year.

 Interesting 

Nanglo court case 

Abhiyan, an economic daily, has a story on the court case on  Nanglo’s trademark. The four-column story details how disagreement between Shyam Kakshapati and his brother Gopal Kakshapati over Nanglo (a fast food chain) has reached the court.

Multi-billion rupee deal to acquire school

Abhiyan’s anchor story for the day is on the acquisition of Triyog School by Trinity College. Although the headline reads as a regular piece of news that could go on the inside pages, that the deal was worth Rs 2.5 billion justifies the space the news has received.  The report says the size of Triyog’s property near the Ring Road, and the government’s new rule that plus twos’ should run school-level classes also, were the factors considered during the worth of the school.