KATHMANDU, May 6: A clash between two factions at the CPN-UML district convention in Dhanusha has resulted in the postponement of the event. The dispute arose over the removal of a candidate's name from the final list of nominations.
Since the convention, which started on Saturday, failed to select the committee unanimously, preparations for elections had been scheduled to begin at 8 AM on Tuesday.
The Election Committee had released the list of candidates, but a dispute arose when the faction led by UML central member Umashankar Argariya demanded the removal of three candidates' names for officer positions. However, the Election Committee refused to remove the names, citing pressure from the faction of Raghubir Mahaseth. This led to a physical confrontation between the two factions.
UML demands postponement of provincial assembly meeting
In the clash, five people, including two leaders, were injured. Among the injured were Satya Narayan Mahaseth and Mahesh Das from the Bhola Yadav faction of UML, both of whom suffered head injuries.
Following the stone-throwing and physical confrontation between the workers of the two factions at the convention venue, the convention was temporarily postponed.
After the clash, supporters of the Argariya faction threw stones outside the Nidhi Bhawan. The police, in response, set up a security perimeter and escorted the supporters of the Mahaseth faction out of the convention venue.
The faction of Lakshmi Narayan Yadav, who had filed his candidacy for the chairman of UML in Dhanusha, had staged a sit-in demanding the removal of his name from the list of candidates. The faction of Raghubir Mahaseth had nominated Bhola Yadav as their candidate for chairman, while Lakshmi Narayan is a candidate from the Umashankar Argariya faction.
The district convention of UML in Dhanusha was inaugurated on Saturday by the party’s central vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel. The impact of the leadership dispute between Mahaseth and Lila Shrestha from the Madhesh province was evident at the Dhanusha convention.
