Mahara in Rolpa tight corner

ROLPA, NOV 07 -

UCPN (Maoist) candidate Krishna Bahadur Mahara , who is in the fray from Rolpa-1, is facing a tough election battle.

Said to be a close confidant of UCPN (M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal during the insurgency, he was involved in parleying with the then government and the seven-party alliance during the conflict.

However, he is said to be maintaining a ‘low profile’ within the party lately. UCPN (M) supporters, who have  good ties with Mahara, said that his ‘inactiveness’ in politics for long after the party split might cost him dear.

The UCPN (M) fielded Mahara from Rolpa at the eleventh hour after its leader Babulal Pun threatened to file his candidacy following the party’s decision to field central member Jokha Bahadur Mahara from the constituency, sources said. Mahara repor-tedly contested from this constituency to settle a intra-party dispute after a decision to field Jokha Bah-adur. Although Jokha Bahadur and Babulal are helping Krishna Bahadur in his election campaign, the dispute is yet to be settled.

The party had fielded Jayapuri Ghartima-gar this constituency, a predominant of the Magar community.

Mahara’s main rival is Nepali Congress candidate Lekhnath Acharya, who is said to have good relations in the local level. Moreover, the CPN-Maoist’s anti-election campaign in villages has ma-de the matter worse. Mahara is yet to reach Jelbang, known as ‘Sahid Gaun’ for his election campaign. “We won’t let anyone enter Jelbang for election campaigns,” said district secretary of CPN-M Asha Bahadur Pun.