Sanjeet Kumar Mandal 
GAUSHALA, Nov 9: Analysts have speculated that unexpected results are likely in Mahottari district in the election to the House of Representatives scheduled for December 7.

There are four electoral constituencies for the parliamentary elections in Mahottari district.

An interesting competition is expected in all four electoral constituencies in the district mainly because of massive mobilization of money and ethnic chemistry. These two factors may cause unexpected results in the elections.

With Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) Presidium Coordinator Mahantha Thakur and its member Sharat Singh Bhandari fielding themselves in race, the elections to the House of Representatives will be of much interests. Thakur and Bhandari are the leaders of the party which was an outcome of the Madhes movement.

On the other hand, CPN (Maoist Center)’s influential leader Girirajmani Pokharel from left alliance is the candidate in Mahottari constituency-1 – which covers the northern belt along the highway. He had won first and second elections to the Constituent Assembly.

Interestingly, Nepali Congress leader Sitaram Bhandari, who won the second CA election from Mahottari constituency-6, is also in the race with leader Pokhrel from the constituency-1 this time. NC candidate Bhandari is known to be a leader with clean image, honesty and simplicity.

Similarly, Rastriya Janata Party Nepal-Federal Socialist Forum Nepal alliance has fielded Laxmi Mahato Koiri from the constituency-1. The constituency has the majority of Koiri community people which may upside down the poll results here.

In the constituency-2, RJPN Presidium member Sharat Singh Bhandari and NC central member and former parliamentarian Kiran Yadav are set for parliamentary race.

Yadav had won the CA election from the constituency having majority of Yadav whereas Bhandari is the common candidate of RJPN and Forum.

Likewise, in the constituency-3, RJPN Presidium Coordinator Mahantha Thakur and his rebel candidate Chandeswor Jha, former independent parliamentarian, are the key candidates in the race. NC candidate Bajarang Nepali had withdrawn his candidacy from the constituency announcing support to Thakur.

Similarly, NC Mahottari district President Mahendra Kumar Roy is fighting from the constituency-4. He is considered to be an influential leader in the district. Dr Surendra Yadav of Socialist Forum has been fielded in the constituency from RJPN-Forum alliance. He may pose challenge to NC leader Roy.

Raji Haidar of CPN-MC is also in the race from the same constituency from the left alliance. As the constituency is the stronghold of Muslims, Haidar can influence the election results here, said the analysts.

GAUSHALA, Oct 15: Police have arrested three persons with around 15 kilograms of marijuana from Bardibas of Mahottari district this morning.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Area Police Office, Bardibas, Prabin Pokharel, said that 14.850 kg of marijuana was seized at bardibas-5 from a night bus (Na 6 Kha 5434) heading towards Mahottari from Kathmandu.

Police have arrested the bus driver, helper and an unidentified person and impounded the vehicle. They have been kept at Area Police Office, Bardibas for the investigation into the case. RSS

MAHOTTARI, Oct 8: A minute book of the Gaushala Municipality has been lost from the municipality office.

Important decisions made by the municipality were documented in the minute book since the municipality’s inception. The minute book has been lost since a month now, the municipality secretariat stated.

It is said the minute book was under the care of Sudip Dahal, the then Ward Secretary at the municipality. But it has ‘disappeared’ from the secretariat immediately after a new municipality executive officer took charge of the office.

The new executive officer Ramji Joshi said important documents as the minute book, check book, vouchers among others were missing from the municipality secretariat while searching for them in course of investigation into the alleged misappropriation of the municipality’s fund.

The investigation was ordered after the news that the then executive officer of the municipality Shambhu Thakur had carried out transactions worth nine million rupees in an arbitrary manner.

Newly-elected mayor Shivanath Mahato said he has ordered an inquiry in this connection and seeking clarification from every employee at the municipality. He also expressed his determination to take stern action against any employee found guilty in this connection.

The minute book contained the municipality’s important decisions taken during the term of the executive officers Radheshyam Giri, Ram Kumar Mahato and Shambhu Thakur, according to a source at the municipality. RSS

GAUSHALA, Sept 8: Political parties that are vigorously campaigning vying for turning the results of the upcoming local level election in their favor have been found breaching the election code of conduct in Mahottari district.

The third round of local level elections are taking place in eight districts of Province-2 on September 18.

Among the parties that have been accused of breaching the election code are the big national parties – the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Centre), the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the Madhes-centric parties as the Rastriya Janata Party (RJP), the Sanghiya Samjwadi Forum and Nepal Loktantrik Forum.

Similarly, the rest of the other parties as well as the independent candidates have also been accused of violating the election code of conduct. Four thousand four hundred and ten candidates in all including independents have filed their candidacy for the 720 posts of the local levels in the district which has 15 local levels comprising 10 municipalities and five rural municipalities.

The political parties and the candidates have been found pasting posters and pamphlets and organizing electoral campaign rallies amidst the blaring of loudspeakers for 24 hours at public places.

The parties and the candidates have not even spared the electric poles, telecom poles and trees along the streets in tucking their parties’ flags and posters. Big hoarding boards and posters are placed at major road intersections.

These parties are also accused of using vehicles and motorcycles in numbers exceeding the number fixed by the election code. Similarly, they have been using banners and posters of bigger in size than permitted by the code for their election campaigns.

They have also mobilized their cadres and supporters wearing T-shirts and vests bearing their parties’ election symbol for the election campaigning. Children are also found used in the election campaign rallies.

Besides this, the voters have accused the candidates of giving false promises and in some cases even distributing money for wooing voters. RSS 

MAHOTTARI, May 5: A heavy rainfall followed by hailstorm last night damaged property and crops worth thousands of rupees in Mahottari, said the District Agricultural Development Office.

Roofs of dozens of houses were blown away while the storm destroyed houses, shops and animal sheds of the locals.
Crops on hundreds of hectares of land have been damaged by the hailstorm, said farmers, adding that power supply has been disconnected in over a dozen villages as a result. RSS