The Radiant Star

April 10 is the day! Nepal will see the historic election - for the Constituent Assembly. This will also, probably, end the long-running monarchy and formally end the Maoists’ people’s war.

Election fever is already gripping the nation. Door-to-door programs, mass meetings and election region visits by the candidates are keeping most of the leaders busy. And, there are of course speculations among the people of results. The most frequently asked question being how many seats Maoists will win.

And, the most interesting part of the election seems to be outcries of the leaders for this and that. The front-runner is of course Maoist supremo Prachanda - the ‘first future president of the new Nepal’ (according to Maoist graffiti/banners around the city).

Prachanda is candidate from Kathmandu Constituency No 10 and Rolpa No 2. There was an interesting article on The Kathmandu Post on why he chose the No 10 Contituenty of Kathmandu. It’s a well known that if the big parties do not work out on a plan to elect all big leaders, it would be very difficult for Prachanda to get elected from Kathmandu.

And when the alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) failed, the Maoists fear that difficulty has increased and Prachanda does not want the lose. For a man who has never faced election, even Rolpa - the Maoists’ biggest success during People’s War looks shaky (for what if fear). The fear has been reflected time and again in the speeches by Prachanda. Every time he speaks, he has venoms for UML.

Here are a few of things Prachanda has said in recent past about UML:

‘UML shield away from leftist alliance under US behest’
‘I’m president in people’s heart’ (in reply of UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal’s ‘he is the wall president‘)
‘What do these parties think of the people? Nepali people are not fools. They know who are traitors‘

And, what if Prachanda loses in both constituencies? (well Prachanda himself fear he could also fall flat in Rolpa saying that there are conspiracies afoot to defeat him).

The answer is: ‘Peaceful War’ (that I am using out of context, as he said it if there is no Maoist majority). Well, I am still trying to figure out which among the two words in the phrase remains silent!

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