Vishnu Poudel's Four Main Competitors Who Are Giving Him a Run for His Money: Surrounded by Youth and New Faces

Butwal. CPN-UML Vice Chairman Bishnu Prasad Poudel, who has been consistently winning in Rupandehi since 2064 BS, is now surrounded by new and young candidates. The challenge for Poudel has increased as other parties have fielded young candidates with expertise in various fields. With young candidates, lawyers, doctors, and successful industrialists in the fray, a four-way contest is expected here.

Former Finance Minister Poudel, who was preparing to contest from Palpa Constituency No. 2 in the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21, ultimately returned to his old stronghold after sensing internal dissatisfaction within the party and a lack of 'strong' candidates in Rupandehi, according to cadres who are meeting him after he filed his candidacy.

Poudel, who contested from the then Rupandehi Constituency No. 3 in 2056 BS and was defeated by Nepali Congress leader Surya Prasad Pradhan, has tasted victory in every election since 2064 BS.

UML cadres in Butwal believe that Poudel became skeptical in this constituency after facing a tough competition from Ganesh Poudel of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in the 2079 BS elections. Ganesh received 25,781 votes, while Bishnu secured 27,147 votes. A margin of only about 1200 votes in a constituency he had consistently won was disappointing for Bishnu. Poudel himself mentioned this issue needing review at a public UML program in Butwal.

Who are the candidates challenging Poudel?

RSP has fielded Sulabh Kharel to challenge Poudel this time. The young Kharel is a candidate versed in law. He initially handled the case of his own party chairman, Rabi Lamichhane. RSP sent Kharel to the field because he is a clear speaker who has studied law, even abroad, rather than engineer Ashish Subedi. RSP leader Madhu Prakash Aryal states that Kharel, a young leader who understands the constitution, was fielded against Poudel because legal experts are more needed in the House of Representatives. Recalling that the RSP candidate almost defeated Poudel in the previous (2079) election, Aryal claimed confidence in winning this time as an even more capable leader is in the field.

Similarly, the CPN (Maoist Centre) has fielded young candidate Bishwadeep Pandey. Pandey, 39, active in the Maoist movement since the Janayuddha period, is currently a central member of the CPN (Maoist Centre), a member of the party's publicity department, and the head of the social media department.

Pandey, a resident of SainaMaina, Rupandehi, is viewed within and outside the party as a promising young leader. Bishwadeep's father, the late Maoist leader Bhakti Pandey, was narrowly defeated by Bishnu in the 2064 election. At that time, Bishnu was first, Bhakti second, and Nepali Congress's Surya Prasad Pradhan was third. Currently, Bishwadeep has the legacy of his father and the support of some leaders. Pandey stated that although this is his first election experience, he is campaigning based on his long experience working in the secretariat of responsible party leaders and the support of local friends.

Another young candidate in this constituency is Kalam Bhusal (Nicholas), who is also in the contest. Bhusal, who studied medicine, has recently made a name for himself as a social activist. He had filed his candidacy here in the previous election as well, although his candidacy was rejected. Nicholas, contesting from the Nepal Janaseva Party, claims to have entered the field fully mature in all respects. He has also been running free health camps in this area for years.

This time, a four-way contest is being analyzed in Rupandehi-2. The main competitors are UML Vice Chairman Poudel, Chunnu Poudel from the Congress, Pandey from the CPN (Maoist Centre), and Kharel from RSP. Bishnu, who has won consecutively, will have to face a challenge from Chunnu, a successful industrialist, due to the lack of a young candidate from the Congress this time. Congress has fielded Poudel, a new face, in the field. There is an assessment by one side that Chunnu, a successful industrialist in Butwal, will secure the party's votes as well as the votes from the Butwal market once he reaches the election ground. On the other hand, some believe that a new face will win rather than repeatedly voting for the same candidate.

Meanwhile, Bishnu stated that he has made significant contributions to the development of Rupandehi and that his presence is still necessary for further development here. He mentioned that he has no intention of leaving Rupandehi for elsewhere and asserted that he will remain committed to completing the development projects started earlier and initiating further development.

One reason for Bishnu's continuous victories here since 2064 BS is that this area has a strong UML organization. Poudel increased his stature by defeating the then Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai from this constituency in 2070 BS.

Whether Bishnu wins or loses against the competition from Congress's Chunnu, RSP's advocate Kharel, CPN (Maoist Centre)'s young leader Bishwadeep, and activist Dr. Nicholas, depends on whether his political stature increases or decreases further. Rupandehi-2 comprises Wards 1 to 13 of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, Wards 1 to 6 of Tilottama Municipality, and Wards 1 to 4 of SainaMaina Municipality. There are 135,050 voters here.