JHAPA: CPN-UML Chair and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has expressed confidence that the party will secure around 70 percent of the votes in the upcoming House of Representatives election.
Speaking to party workers in Kamal Rural Municipality on Wednesday, Oli said the Nepali Congress remains disorganized, and many former Maoist voters are leaning toward UML, giving the party a strong edge.
Oli claimed that the entire area is aligned with UML due to its development work, political transformation, and strong grassroots support. He also criticized the criminalization of politics, pointing to incidents during the Gen-Z protests in September, where some deaths occurred amid what he called primarily criminal activities rather than political action.
“We will face pressures from those who want us to follow their instructions, but we cannot accept such pressures,” Oli said, accusing groups seeking instability of attempting to disrupt the country. He criticized past violence in municipalities, asking, “Why were municipal buildings and business complexes burned? Damak is developing as a model city, but some choose to destroy it instead.”
Highlighting local infrastructure and development, Oli highlighted achievements in riverbank control, bridges, roads, school buildings, electrification, drinking water, and healthcare. He urged people to recognize and protect these accomplishments against those undermining development.
Oli also addressed issues of marginalized communities, recalling housing programs and integrated settlement initiatives that provided shelter to landless citizens, while criticizing individuals who attempted to exploit or humiliate them. He noted that an international-standard sports arena, previously only discussed, will now be constructed after the election in March.
According to UML sources, Oli is meeting voters and party workers at the ward level across several municipalities in the area, including Damak, Kamal, Gauradaha, and Gauriganj, as part of his campaign strategy.
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