Nepali Congress Leader Bhupendra Jung Shahi Withdraws Independent Candidacy in Kalikot After Being Denied Party Ticket

Surkhet. Nepali Congress youth leader Bhupendra Jung Shahi was an aspirant for the House of Representatives election from Kalikot. Following the announcement of the election, he increased his activities by visiting remote villages of Kalikot and meeting with voters and local party leaders and cadres.

Although recommended as a candidate from the district, internal polarization increased after a special general convention was called amidst growing power struggles within the party. The party leadership changed through the special general convention, but Shahi was deprived of the ticket because he did not openly support the special general convention.

Gagan Thapa, who was elected president in the special general convention, gave the ticket to Harsh Bahadur Bam, considered close to him in Kalikot. Following this, Shahi registered his independent candidacy from Kalikot itself. Later, he decided to withdraw his candidacy and support the party's official candidate.

Kalikot is a stronghold of the Maoists. The Maoists (now CPN) have won almost all elections here since the 2060s (Bikram Sambat). In the 2070 election, Bhupendra, who was a candidate at the age of 32, was defeated. Mahendra Bahadur Shahi of the Maoists was elected from that constituency. In 2074, while the Maoist candidate Durgabahadur Rawat received 21,112 votes under the Leftist-Democratic Alliance, Bhupendra alone secured 16,407 votes. He significantly increased his vote share compared to 2070.

He wanted to be a candidate again in the 2079 election, but when the Leftist-Democratic Alliance was formed, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi of the Maoists received the ticket and was elected.

In the Congress Karnali Province convention held in Mangsir 2078 BS, Shahi was also defeated. He lost to Lalitjung Shahi of the establishment faction in the race for the provincial presidency. Shahi, who has served as the General Secretary of the Tarun Dal, has faced repeated failures in party politics and parliamentary elections.

He says, 'There was an atmosphere to win this time, and it was being created, but the party did not give me the ticket.' He stated that he was disappointed because the party did not give him the ticket even when he had the support of Gen Z youth and young leaders from other parties.

'Not giving the ticket when there was an overall winning situation is a serious conspiracy,' Shahi told Ratopati, 'A great injustice has been done to me.'

He understands that he could not get the ticket because Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa practiced politics of exclusion against him. He also feels he became a victim of factionalism. The relationship between Thapa and Shahi had not been cordial since their time in the Nepal Student Union (NSU) politics.

He says that they never agreed even during their NSU days, which is why Gagan held a grudge against him in ticket distribution.

According to Shahi, there were two factions in the NSU during their student politics. One team included Govinda Bhattarai, Keshav Singh, Yadav Pandit, Ranjit Karna, Bhupendra Jung Shahi, and others, while the other team included Bishwaprakash Sharma, Gagan Thapa, Pradip Paudel, and others. Later in party politics, Gagan joined Krishna Sitaula's team, while Bhupendra Jung and others joined Ramchandra Paudel's team. In the 14th General Convention, Shahi was preparing to contest for the post of General Secretary from Shekhar's team, but he claims he was betrayed midway.

Shahi said, 'Even if I had won from Kalikot for the Congress, it would have benefited Gaganji, wouldn't it? What loss would he have incurred? Injustice was done even when the environment was favorable. It is also a loss for the party.'

After not getting the ticket, he recalls that friends from across the country pressured him to contest independently against the injustice. He claims that Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa adopted the exact opposite policy in ticket distribution, despite saying that the party is not one of 'slaves and corpses.'

'He says the party is not one of slaves and corpses, but the throats of those who question within the party were squeezed,' he said, 'A democratic party also has differing opinions; if only those who cheer for the leader are supported, and those who question are silenced, then this is not a democratic party!'

• Shahi, Always at the Forefront of Party Transformation

Bhupendra Jung Shahi was always at the forefront of party transformation. He ran the Mechi-Mahakali campaign the previous year. He is one of the main leaders who have repeatedly raised their voices on public platforms for party transformation. He started the 'Congress Organization Strengthening Journey' in Karnali in Chaitra 2080 BS, beginning his journey from Kaphurkot in Salyan and completing the campaign in Humla's Simikot.

Having served three times as a Central Committee member and Vice-Chairman of the NSU, he is popular among the youth. Active in literature and social service alongside politics, Shahi is a leader established in central politics due to his difficult struggles after being born in Karnali.

During the Corona period, he ran a campaign distributing free food to 10,000 people and also provided assistance to flood victims in Sindhupalchowk. He is also a leader who has been struggling for Congress transformation and a strong presence of the youth. In 2080 BS, he publicly stated: The General Secretaries must have the courage to call a special general convention.

However, this time he did not openly support the special general convention called by the then General Secretaries. 'The agenda of party transformation was what we raised. Even after the Gen-Z movement, we said that the party must be transformed, but democracy itself was in crisis, and the Congress itself was in crisis,' he said. He states that he stood for not creating conflict within the party as the election was approaching.

'Transformation must happen, but not by hijacking and capturing the party,' Shahi said, 'I am in favor of doing it naturally through rules and procedures.'

Shahi says that what happened in the party today indicates that an environment of discord still prevails within the party. 'It's fine that Gaganji became the president, but many senior leaders like Sher Bahadur Deuba are feeling insulted, aren't they?' he said, 'Such things should not affect the election. My point was that we should be a little serious about this.'

• Withdrawing Candidacy After Placing a Stone on the Heart

Shahi argues that it was absolutely necessary to rebel against the extent of injustice done to him by Gagan Thapa and others. 'It's not about whether I was personally affected or not, but it was necessary to lead a rebellion against the extent of injustice that was committed,' he said. However, he states that he was forced to withdraw his candidacy, placing a heavy burden on his heart, rather than forgetting everything just to become a Member of Parliament.

'My blood has been shed in this party for 35 years; my energetic years have been spent in this,' he said, 'I thought that leaving all this behind, the position of MP is not a big deal.'