Journalist Chronicles Contrasting Styles of Political Rivals KP Sharma Oli and Balen Shah During Jhapa-5 Candidacy Filing

Jhapa-5 is always considered a strong symbol of Nepal's political balance of power. It is a historic stronghold of the leftist movement that has produced many leaders who have given a new direction to national politics. This time, this constituency is once again the focal point of the House of Representatives direct election, but the reason and context are significantly different from previous elections.

The competition here is no longer just a technical battle between candidates; it is also a clash between established political legacy and rising new consciousness. The scene I witnessed firsthand upon arriving in Damak on Magh 6 further clarified this reality.

The face-off between CPN-UML Chairman and three-time former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balendra Shah (Balen), is in itself a major political event. But the more important question is: Whom will the voters of Jhapa-5 choose now?

We traveled to Jhapa on Magh 6 to witness this historic confrontation. In the morning, we flew from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur on a Buddha Air flight. Having prior bitter experience that flights are often delayed during winter, I had doubts about whether we would reach Damak on time.

The Election Officer's Office for Jhapa Constituency No. 5 had scheduled the nomination time for RSP senior leader Balen at 11 AM and for Prime Minister Oli at 1 PM. We landed in Bhadrapur around 8 AM.

The challenge now was to reach Damak from Bhadrapur on time. The road journey, which normally takes 50 minutes, had become arduous due to the under-construction 'Asian Highway'. Given the local advice that public transport would take two to two and a half hours due to the pathetic condition of the road, we recognized the sensitivity of the time and reserved a taxi directly from the airport at 9 AM, heading towards Damak.

As the clock struck 10:55 AM, we reached Gantantra Chowk in Damak Bazaar. As soon as we arrived, Balen's rally was already moving towards the Election Officer's Office. Carrying cameras, tripods, boom mics, and bags on our shoulders, we entered the crowd and began capturing the scenes. In the course of fulfilling our journalistic duty, we continued reporting around the Election Officer's Office all day, carrying heavy bags and equipment.

The energy at that moment was not just professional responsibility; it was also the excitement of having the first opportunity to capture on camera the electoral contest between Balen, considered the heartthrob of the youth across the country, and KP Sharma Oli, the shrewd player of Nepali politics, in Jhapa-5, which was the center of attention for citizens nationwide.

For Oli, Jhapa is not just a constituency; it is also a stage for displaying his political identity and power. The dense presence of his supporters, the organized party structure, and his long-standing political hold were clearly visible there.

However, Balen's rally, moving past Damak's Gantantra Chowk, was sending a different message. That scene indicated that Jhapa-5 was no longer the completely secure fortress for Oli as it once was. Many were stunned by the sea of people in Balen's rally. Such a scene was rarely seen in an area with decades of leftist influence.

The crowd cannot be blindly exaggeratedly glorified, nor can it be easily ignored. The reality is that the crowd included supporters who had come from various districts in the Terai, Kathmandu, and elsewhere. But within that group, there was also a significant presence of local youth carrying a new political consciousness and voters eagerly awaiting change.

Seeing that, some questions arose in my mind: What does this crowd signify? Is this merely a manufactured crowd, or is it a signal of the changing political psychology of Jhapa-5?

Balen's political rise is vastly different from the traditional mold. He is neither an old leader from Jhapa nor an individual seasoned in any established party organization. His Madhesi background, his urban experience in Kathmandu, and the 'action-oriented' politics he demonstrated as the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City are his main assets.

Entering a heavyweight constituency like Jhapa-5 with these assets is in itself a major political message.

Oli possesses decades of experience, a strong organization, and long practice in running the state. He has the capacity to connect Jhapa-5 with national politics and development. But the question remains: Is that legacy alone enough to win an election now?

The wave generated by Balen in Jhapa-5 has made it clear: this election will not be easy for Oli. This competition is like 'chewing iron candy' (a tough nut to crack), requiring a confluence of political skill, organization, and public trust. The nomination on Magh 6 was not just a formality; it also sent a message that in the upcoming election, voters are not in a mood to vote merely by looking at a party flag.

Voters are looking for alternatives, asking questions, and demanding concrete results from their leadership. Viewed this way, the battle in Jhapa-5 is not just 'Oli vs. Balen'. It is a major conflict between old political legacy and new political consciousness. And its outcome will determine the future direction of not only Jhapa-5 but of Nepali politics as a whole.

• Balen's Behavior and Oli's Style

After registering his candidacy in Jhapa-5, Balen went to the house he had rented and wrote a brief yet meaningful status on Facebook: Jhapa-5. Coincidentally, I was at the Election Officer's Office at that time. Within minutes of the status being posted, I saw it on my timeline, and the flood of reactions that followed astonished me again. Likes and comments were raining down as if a meteor shower was occurring.

At that moment, I asked myself: What is so miraculous about him? Is the Balen I saw in the rally a few moments ago the same as this virtual Balen? My direct experience could only answer 'No'. While millions of supporters worship him as an extraordinary and unprecedented leader, there is no shortage of critics who regard him as arrogant, someone who rose suddenly and was carried away by luck.

I had been curious about what Balen is truly like for the past three and a half years, but that opportunity never arose as he maintained a policy of staying away from the media. Therefore, the Jhapa trip for me was not just reporting but also a journey to satisfy a personal curiosity.

During the rally, I had the chance to observe Balen, who is being discussed as a future Prime Minister, up close. The young man of average height, wheatish complexion, and medium stature was accepting the greetings of his supporters while waving his hands amidst the crowd. We too were moving along with the rally, sweating with cameras on our shoulders.

Wherever the rally went, the atmosphere was captivating. Many were chanting slogans like, 'Welcome to Jhapa, Mr. Prime Minister.'

But within that captivating crowd, I witnessed an unnatural scene. Balen was scolding his own cadres who were in the same vehicle with him in a very aggressive, informal style ('you and I'). I didn't know why he was scolding them, but that behavior was quite harsh compared to normal conversation between friends.

As the Election Officer's Office approached, Balen got out of the vehicle and started walking. He was now much closer to me. He was constantly giving instructions to his aides, but the style of those instructions sounded somewhat like a dialogue between a 'master and a slave'.

Although he gave a faint smile to the supporters, I doubted whether that warmth truly came from the heart. At that very moment, he abruptly shoved two or three people following him sternly, saying, 'Why are you here? Go away.' After that, I personally witnessed him aggressively pushing a person identified as a Jhapa RSP manager, his face turning red with anger.

I am not usually the type of person to record such scenes on mobile, but after witnessing his behavior, I consciously captured his movement on my mobile.

After that, he entered the office with his entourage. There was some tension outside as the police stopped the media personnel. After an argument between journalists and police over the inability to film the highly important nomination process, we finally managed to get inside. The scene inside was even more interesting. Balen's team appeared technically very weak. They neither had the original copy of the party's official ticket nor citizenship papers, nor was the proposer and supporter confirmed. Due to this confusion, the nomination process was stalled for almost an hour.

In the meantime, I asked artist Arjun Ghimire: Why is the management so flimsy? But his reaction was not positive. Understanding that they were stressed, I took it lightly. Once all the paperwork was complete, Balen left. The crowd of journalists grew even larger. I was advising my cameraman, Ravi, about the shots when Arjun Ghimire suddenly shoved my arm so hard it hurt.

I calmly asked, 'What kind of manner is this?' But the reply came in a scolding tone. After that, my patience snapped, and I reacted. My main focus was on Balen, who was the hope of millions. But he slipped away, as usual, ignoring the journalists' questions.

After Balen left, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli entered the office. He arrived with a limited number of supporters, but his style was entirely different and courteous. He personally requested the journalists, saying, 'Let's talk after the nomination if you have questions, okay?'

As the process was expected to take time, he added, 'Come in, if you have questions, ask them, I will answer.' Following this, there was an open dialogue between Oli and the journalists.

This scene in Jhapa-5 was not just a comparison between two candidates. It was a direct conflict between behavior and style, craze and dialogue, and silence and openness. This very difference is making the electoral competition in Jhapa-5 even more interesting and meaningful.

(Shrestha is a journalist working at Prime Television)