Madhes-based parties to obstruct EC campaign Monday, 27 September 2010 09:22 Taking serious exception to the Election Commission's (EC) decision to distribute new voter cards based on citizenship certificates the four Madhes based parties have decided to obstruct the ongoing EC campaign to update the electoral roll in all Terai districts from Monday. Saying thousands of Terai denizens would be deprived from their voting rights if citizenship certificate is made mandatory to acquire a voter card [how crazy demand is this, gosh!], the Madhes based political parties have instructed their subordinate bodies and sister orgnisations to obstruct the campaign. EC had started the campaign to update the electoral roll earlier this month by collecting finger prints and computerised pictures from those in the voters list and distributing new voter cards to eligible voters not included in the list. The Madhes-based parties, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), MJF-Loktantrik, Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) and Sadbhawana Party, have said there are thousands of eligible voters in Terai who have not got a citizenship certificates[which is clear that they are not Nepali citizens, rather they are INDIANS...]. The commission is conducting the campaign in 58 municipalities of 43 districts in the first phase. The campaign in about two dozen municipalities of the Terai districts will be affected by the Madhes-based parties. Cadres of the Madhes-based parties had obstructed the campaign in some Terai districts including Banke, Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu and Rupandehi on Sunday.  We will allow the campaign to continue if they only collect the finger prints and pictures from those already included in the voters list, but we will not allow them to distribute new voters cards based on citizenship certificates until the problem of citizenship in Terai districts is resolved, said a Madhes-based leader. Source: Nepalnews.com