Women leaders in race with powerful males in Dang

By Diwakar Pokharel

Deukhuri, Oct. 12 : Women leaders are competing with top male leaders for the House of Representatives elections in all three constituencies in Dang.

Female candidates of major political parties have filed their nomination in all three constituencies of the district. 

Shanta Chaudhary, a female candidate of CPN UML, is competing with the common candidate of the ruling alliance, Minister for Urban Development Metmani Chaudhary in Constituency-1. 

Minister Chaudhary is a leader of CPN (United Socialist). Deukhuri valley and Rampur and Dharna of Dang Ghorahi valley are Tharu-dominant areas. 

It is not easy for Shanta Chaudhary to compete with Metmani Chaudhary. In May 13 local poll, the main opposition CPN-UML had not been able to win mayoral seats in four municipalities of Deukhuri region.

Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) have won two each mayoral seats in Constituency-1 of Deurkhuri. 

Similarly, Ganga Tharu, rebel candidate of CPN-UML, has also filed her nomination in the same constituency, after the party didn’t allocate her the ticket for the HoR.  The UML vote is expected to divide between Tharu and Chaudhary. 

Likewise, CPN (MC) leader and former minister Rekha Sharma is competing with CPN UML general secretary Shankar Pokhrel in Constituency-2 of Dang. Pokharel is a former Chief Minister of Lumbini Province. 

In the local polls, the ruling alliance had won the elections in Banglachuli, a hilly area of the same constituency. Sharma got the opportunity to become a candidate after the resignation of CPN-Maoist vice-chairman and former speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara. However, it is not easy for Sharma to defeat UML general secretary Pokharel.

Likewise, UML leader Komal Oli has filed her candidacy in Dang Constittuency-3. She is competing with the influential leader of Nepali Congress and former Irrigation Minister Deepak Giri. 

There are four municipalities in the area in which the Nepali Congress has won mayoral seats in three municipalities in local polls, while CPN-UML candidate has been elected in Tulsipur Sub-metropolitan City.