CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has refuted charges that his party was working tacitly to make Nepali Congress candidate Krishna Prasad Sitaula victorious in Jhapa Constituency-3, in the upcoming elections.

Addressing a rally in Birtamod on Thursday, Oli said that his party was committed to supporting Rastriya Prajatantra Party candidate Rajendra Lingden in the constituency as announced earlier. Responding to a Kantipur daily report on Thursday that claimed “match fixing” by the UML in order to make Sitaula victorious, Oli said, “We will help RPP candidate Lingden win at any cost.”

Oli reiterated that his party had decided to support Lingden as the Nepali Congress had betrayed him by backtracking on its commitment in the eleventh hour.

Earlier, the NC had listed Sitaula, who had been contesting direct elections from Jhapa-3, for the proportional representation category of the federal parliamentary polls while deciding to support RPP candidate Lingden in the constituency.

But Sitaula protested the party’s decision and decided to contest the first-past-the-post elections.