Police resorted to baton-charge and air-firing in Bardiya district following a heated dispute between cadres of Nepali Congress and left alliance on Monday night. The altercation started after the two sides started accusing each other of distribution money to lure the voters in Mukta Kamaiya settlement at Janatanagr in Badhaiyatal Rural Municipality-9. Police intervened to take the situation under control. CPN-UML’s Bardiya district Chairman Hari Prasad Gyawali claimed that his party cadres protested after the NC started distributing money to the voters. The NC, however, denied the accusation. NC district Secretary Jiwan Malla said that UML itself distributed money to voters and instead blamed the NC to defame the party. Police said that they have freed NC local leader Taranath Ranabhat from the control of left alliance. DSP Yuvraj Khatiwada said that they fired three rounds in the air and baton-charged to take the situation under control. It has been learnt that the situation has returned to normalcy by the time we updated this news. According to locals, distribution of money was rampant in the settlements of former bonded labourers and landless squatters after the silence period for second phase of federal parliamentary and provincial assembly elections slated for Thursday came into effect from Monday night. Locals observed that the violation of election code of conduct has surged with the EC being lenient on code compliance after the silence period.