Electoral Heat Rises in Rasuwa as Three-Way Contest Looms for Upcoming House of Representatives Election

Kathmandu. The election atmosphere is heating up in the Himalayan district of Rasuwa for the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21. The fervor of the election is warming up the freezing weather of Rasuwa.

In Rasuwa, which stretches from Betrawati on the border of Nuwakot to Langtang, Timure, and the autonomous region of China, Rasuwagadhi, a three-way contest appears likely this time. In this district where the National Independent Party has minimal influence, the main competition is expected to be between the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and the Communist Party of Nepal.

Rasuwa district, which is 80 percent Tamang-majority, has five rural municipalities: Uttargaya, Kalika, Gosainkunda, Naukunda, and Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality.

Nepali Congress candidate Mohan Acharya, who won the House of Representatives elections twice in 2074 and 2079 BS, is aiming for a 'hat-trick' this time. His main competitors this time are Prem Bahadur Tamang of CPN-UML and Madhav Lamichhane of the Communist Party of Nepal.

Congress candidate Acharya, who won with an overwhelming majority in the 2079 election with the support of the alliance with the then CPN (Maoist Centre) (now CPN), is in the field without an alliance this time. In the 2079 election, Acharya received 18,235 votes as the alliance candidate. His closest competitor, Chhowang Tenjing Tamang of CPN-UML, received 8,614 votes.

CPN-UML candidate Chhowang Tenjing Tamang, who competed against Nepali Congress candidate Mohan Acharya in the 2079 election, is not in the electoral contest this time. This time, CPN-UML has nominated Prem Bahadur Tamang. Tamang, who won the first Constituent Assembly election in 2064 BS from the then CPN (Maoist Centre), was defeated by CPN-UML candidate Janardan Dhakal in the 2070 election.

Tamang, who has a Maoist background, contested for the Provincial Assembly from Baburam Bhattarai-led Naya Shakti Party in 2074. When Naya Shakti allied with the Nepali Congress, they received Rasuwa and Gorkha Constituency No. 2. However, Prem Tamang, who was nominated from Rasuwa at the last moment, showed interest in the Provincial Assembly, leading Mohan Acharya of the Congress to secure the ticket. After joining CPN-UML following 2079, he became a central member.

Tamang will have to compete against Congress candidate Mohan Acharya in this election. It is a big challenge for Tamang to break the strong base Acharya has built in Rasuwa. There is strong dissatisfaction within the CPN-UML regarding Tamang's candidacy. Due to dissatisfaction with Tamang, former CPN-UML chairman and Constituent Assembly member Janardan Dhakal abandoned the party.

It is certain that the dissatisfied votes of Dhakal, who has a good base in the district, will not go to UML candidate Tamang this time. If he fails to accommodate the dissatisfied faction, there is a risk of at least 2,000 votes that previously went to UML moving to another party. In this situation, it might be difficult for him to secure even the 8,614 votes that UML candidate Chhowang Tenjing received in the 2079 election.

Madhav Prasad Lamichhane, the candidate from the Communist Party of Nepal, is competing in the election for the first time. Lamichhane, who has been aspiring to be a candidate since the 2064 Constituent Assembly election, has received the opportunity to contest this time. After Indra Gotame, the former in-charge of Rasuwa district, became a Provincial Assembly member, Lamichhane got the chance to contest this time.

It is not easy for Lamichhane, who enjoys his own business besides party work, to win the election this time. Looking at the vote count from the 2079 House of Representatives election, the then CPN (Maoist Centre) was in third place in Rasuwa, receiving 3,686 votes at that time. This time, due to the party unification, the votes received by the former CPN (Unified Socialist) will also be added, which should provide some relief to Lamichhane compared to before. Furthermore, Lamichhane has an opportunity to attract the dissatisfied votes of CPN-UML to his side.

The National Independent Party has nominated Basanta Bhatta as its candidate in Rasuwa. The RSP candidate received only 165 votes in the 2079 election. Although the vote count might increase slightly this time, the influence of RSP in Rasuwa appears less compared to other districts. Furthermore, RSP's Rasuwa Chairman Man Bahadur Tamang, after not getting the ticket, has now become a candidate from Kulman Ghising's leadership's Ujyalo Nepal Party. Tamang, who has influence in the upper regions, is likely to cut a significant portion of the RSP votes. The influence of the Ujyalo Nepal Party is expected to be felt in Chilmche, Gatlang, Goljung, and Syaphru, where Kulman's professional base is located. Based on the work Kulman did in the Chilmche Hydropower Project and his role in providing shares to affected locals in these Tamang-majority areas, the Ujyalo Party's candidate is expected to cut into the votes of the established parties.

• How many voters are there in Rasuwa?

There are a total of 41,471 voters in Rasuwa this time. Geographically, Naukunda Rural Municipality has the highest number of voters with 11,406. Secondly, Kalika Rural Municipality has 9,316 voters. Uttargaya has 8,793, Gosainkunda Rural Municipality has 6,409, and Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality has 5,547 voters.

• Who are the candidates in Rasuwa?

The candidates are Mohan Acharya from Nepali Congress, Prem Bahadur Tamang from CPN-UML, Madhav Prasad Lamichhane from CPN, Basanta Bhatta from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Hari Prasad Lamichhane from RPP, and Man Bahadur Tamang from Ujyalo Party.

Similarly, Dawa Sangbo Tamang from Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party, Binod Thing from Mongol National Organization, Hom Prasad Acharya from CPN (Maoist), and independent candidates Chitrakumari Devkota, Dawa Mingma Tamang, and Sagar Lama are contesting.

What were the votes received by the House of Representatives candidates in Rasuwa in 2079 BS?

In the 2079 House of Representatives election in Rasuwa, which has only one constituency, Nepali Congress candidate Mohan Acharya was victorious. Acharya won by securing 18,235 votes, while his closest competitor, CPN-UML candidate Chhowang Tenjing Tamang, received 8,614 votes. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) received a total of 165 votes.

• Proportional Representation Vote Results

In the proportional representation votes from Rasuwa, Nepali Congress received 12,586 votes. CPN-UML received 7,708 votes, CPN (Maoist Centre) received 3,686, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) received 1,731, and Unified Socialist received 336 votes.