Nepal: Terai set for polls, despite protest by fringe parties

Despite protests by an alliance of fringe parties led by CPN-Maoist, opposed to the forthcoming Constituent Assembly elections, a senior Nepalese leader has expressed confidence that the polls would be held on time.
"Nepalese people want election to write their constitution to ensure the rights of all the ethnic groups as well as the marginalised people, therefore, the efforts to disrupt the election are bound to fail," President of Terai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) Mahanta Thakur told PTI.
He said he is expecting his party to emerge as the largest party in the Terai region.
Thakur's statement comes at a time when the CPN-Maoist, breakaway faction of the Unified CPN-Maoist led by hardliner Mohan Vaidya, has launched a campaign to disrupt the November polls asking to defer the election date by four months.

Elections are essential to draft the constitution and to form a legitimate government, by electing peoples' representatives, Thakur pointed out.
The local body elections are also necessary as development and construction works in villages are being affected due to the absence of elected representatives, he added.

Electioneering is picking up in the Terai region of Nepal for the upcoming elections on November 19 and political parties are engaged in the process of nominating candidates.
The CPN-Maoist has raised mainly two issues while launching its anti-poll campaign.
The party wants Chairman of Interim Election Government Khil Raj Regmi to resign from the post of Chief Justice and to reschedule the election date to April next year.

The government has intensified security especially in the Terai, the southern plains of Nepal bordering India in view of the forthcoming elections.