Communist Party Candidate Som Prasad Pandey Launches Palpa Election Campaign

Butwal. Som Prasad Pandey, the candidate for Palpa Constituency Number 2 representing the Nepal Communist Party, has launched his election campaign. Pandey, who is also a former minister, formally started his campaigning on Friday after offering prayers at the Siddhababa Temple.

Speaking at a press conference in Butwal, Pandey stated that although he did not initially intend to contest the elections personally this time, he was compelled to become a candidate due to the requests of the people of Palpa. He claimed that he returned to the public sphere because locals complained that development works in the district had stalled after his defeat in the 2079 elections.

Pandey asserted that his role was decisive in the construction of the Siddhababa Tunnel. He recalled warning then Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada that he would go on a hunger strike after Khatiwada stated there were insufficient resources to secure a budget of 10 billion for the tunnel. Pandey said the budget was only secured after he maintained his stance that nothing is greater than citizens' lives, given that nearly a thousand people had lost their lives on the road since its construction.

Pandey further stated that his party is committed to the issue of good governance recently raised by the 'Gen Z' and urged the youth to join the party. In Palpa-2, Pandey's main competition will be with Thakur Gaire of the CPN-UML and Himal Dutt Shrestha of the Nepali Congress. In the previous election, Thakur Gaire of the CPN-UML was victorious in this constituency.