Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) on Wednesday barred Nepali Congress (NC) candidate under the proportional representation system Gagan Thapa and his team as they were traveling on a vehicle from going to Madanpur in Nuwakot district, where re-poll is scheduled for Thursday. Thapa and his team were forced to return to Kathmandu after being stopped at Kakani at about 8 pm.

Some 50 YCL cadres had put up obstructions in the form of logs at five various points including in Kakani, Ranipouwa, Paitishkilo and Trishuli along the road leading to Madanpur polling station and selectively allowed vehicles ferrying their our cadres to pass through starting 5 pm.

Talking to the Post, Thapa said he requested the YCL cadres to allow him to go as he was a NC candidate under the proportional electoral system. “I even argued that I had the right to go to Madanpur as an ordinary citizen,” he said, adding, “But they did not give in.”

Thapa complained that a local police did respond to the incident and a team reached there but they were helpless in front of the Maoist cadres. “This clearly shows how the situation of voters is in the place, where the re-poll is taking place,” he said.

Issuing a statement on Wednesday, the NC central office said "armed and violent Maoist cadres" allegedly vandalized and looted houses of NC leaders and cadres like Basudev Jangali and Basanta Sapkota, Area Presidents of Dang constituency-1 and 5 respectively. The Maoists also attacked and vandalized the house of Krishna Basnet, President of Rajpur village unit.

According to NC, the Maoists are still searching for persons deployed as NC representatives at the booth stations and have been continuing to attack such individuals. "Five NC cadres have been injured in Maoist attacks at Bela VDC," the statement said, adding, "Three of them are undergoing treatment at Lamahi and two others are receiving treatment in Nepalgunj."

Likewise, Maoists have looted 18 houses belonging to NC members at Bakrahapur in Sishaniha VDC, the NC said, adding that Maoists manhandled over 100 persons in the district. "Around six to seven hundred NC cadres have been displaced from the district due to Maoist terror," it said.

The NC has condemned such incidents and urged the Maoist party to control its cadres and behave like a political party. It also demanded that the government arrange treatment for the injured and ensure security for the public.