Intense Electoral Battle Heats Up in Bara-3 as Major Parties Field Former Ministers Amid Internal Strife

Bara. For the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21, CPN-UML and Nepali Congress have nominated former ministers as candidates in Bara-3.

In this constituency, Nepali Congress fields 71-year-old senior citizen Phurmualla Mansur, while CPN-UML has nominated incumbent Federal Parliamentarian Jwala Kumari Sah. Mansur is the Joint General Secretary of the Congress and belongs to the Gagan Thapa faction, whereas Sah is a close associate of CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli. Despite having access to the central party structure, both leaders face significant internal discord at the district level.

Congress has consistently given the ticket to Mansur from this constituency since 2048 BS. This time too, after he secured the ticket at the last moment, the leadership from the establishment Deuba faction, including Bara District President Rajesh Ray Yadav, is not participating in the election campaign.

During on-site reporting, the Gagan faction was not seen participating in the Nepali Congress's door-to-door campaign in Bara-3, which ran from nomination registration until Magh 15.

Meanwhile, the conflict within CPN-UML is even more pronounced. The regional convention had recommended District President Adhyananda Pandey as the first choice for the Bara-3 candidate, but after Jwala Kumari Sah secured the ticket from the central leadership, the enthusiasm among district-level leaders and cadres has diminished.

CPN-UML Provincial Committee member Kishor Sharma stated that there is extreme dissatisfaction within the party. He criticized the decision to award the ticket to an individual rejected by the regional convention. "Currently, no cadres are accompanying her in the election campaign," Sharma said, "Is getting a ticket from the top enough? One must also have a public base in the constituency."

According to Sharma, there was an internal plan until the nomination filing to send Sah to the National Assembly and make District President Pandey the candidate for Constituency No. 3. However, the problem arose when Sah refused to go to the National Assembly and insisted on not leaving the constituency.

"This year, many houses were damaged by fire, so if she had gone to the National Assembly, she would have received a salary while staying at home, and she would have become a minister," Sharma said. "She came to contest the election again, but this time the grassroots cadres are not happy with her."

Bara-3 comprises 38 wards, including 26 out of 27 wards of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City, 8 wards of Jeetpur-Simara, and 4 wards of Feta Rural Municipality.

In this constituency, both Provincial Assembly members for Province '1' and '2' are from CPN-UML, and the Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City is also led by CPN-UML. Despite the party being organizationally strong, Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City Mayor Binod Sah is also not appearing publicly in election programs due to internal conflicts.

CPN-UML Bara District President Pandey stated that due to the compulsion to win the election considering the national situation, they will resolve the disputes and rise from the grassroots level.

"It won't be as easy to win the election this time as before; tough competition is expected. Nevertheless, our public base is not weak," said President Pandey. "Bara Constituency No. 3 is our best area. We have two Provincial Assembly members and the Mayor of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City from our party here."

Incumbent Federal Parliamentarian Sah faces allegations of leaving a 3-kilometer stretch of the Manawat-Matiarwa road section unfinished for years and demanding commissions in the project.

Radheshyam Shiwakoti, who was deployed as the in-charge for CPN-UML Bara-3 in the 2079 Provincial and Federal elections, says it will not be as easy for CPN-UML to win as in the past.

"Although there is a large faction within CPN-UML that dislikes Sah, there is also a sentiment that the party should not lose in this situation," Shiwakoti said. "If the advantage of the internal conflict between the establishment and the new leadership within the Nepali Congress can be utilized now, CPN-UML can win the election."

CPN-UML has identified the Nepali Congress as its main competitor. According to Shiwakoti, JSP is in third place and CPN (Maoist Centre) is in fourth place in the electoral competition, with Rastra Swatantra Party (RSP) in fourth.

Analysis by CPN-UML leaders suggests that the RSP in the northern region of Bara Constituency No. 3 and the Janmat Party, whose election symbol is the 'horn' in the southern region, might cut some votes.

CPN-UML candidate Sah stated that the public could not get the work they desired because the budget from the parliamentary fund was halted. "The fight now is between truth and falsehood; we are undergoing a trial by fire," Sah told Ratopati. "There is no internal conflict within the party as it appears from the outside; all colleagues are unitedly working."

Rambabu Yadav Also Ahead in Competition

The Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), once the largest party in Madhes Province, has recently fragmented.

Even though the party is on the verge of splitting, JSP's former Madhes Province Chairman Rambabu Prasad Yadav is considered an honest leader who remains continuously engaged in the party. He is the candidate for Bara-3 this time. Yadav was the Federal Parliamentarian for Bara-3 in 2074 BS. Voters understand that Yadav has a good influence from the northern to the southern regions compared to other candidates.

Voters appear positive about him due to reasons such as electrifying Tangiyabasti after fighting legal cases and bringing the Bardahawa bridge into operation.

In the proportional representation category of the 2079 House of Representatives election, JSP received the second-highest votes after CPN-UML in this constituency.

Hiralal Sahani from Jeetpur-Simara-18 claims that although the central leaders of JSP are flawed, at the district level, he is more development-oriented than others.

"No leader has done anything without self-interest until today, but Rambabu brought electricity to Tangiyabasti and made the bridge, which was closed for years, operational," said Sahani, who is also a voter in Bara-3. "The main competitors in our Constituency No. 3 are JSP and CPN-UML; Congress is third."

Dwarka Prasad Yadav from Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City-24 Sakhui suggests that in Bara-3, CPN-UML and JSP have 40/40 percent votes, and whoever can pull the remaining 20 percent votes will win. "The two parties must buy 20 percent of the votes; whoever can buy them wins," Yadav said.

Bara-3 has 113,521 voters. In the previous election, about 70 percent of votes were cast in this constituency.

Candidate Yadav stated that his main election agenda is to amend the constitution to establish a directly executive head of state and make the provinces autonomous and empowered.

"Provinces must be given autonomy and the right to self-determination, and an environment and laws for working must be provided," said candidate Yadav. "Unless the center hands over the rights it has kept for itself to the provinces, the benefits of federalism will not reach the people."

Yadav accused the federal government of creating disillusionment towards provincial governments over the past 8 years. Regarding RSP, which gained prominence after the 'Gen-Z' movement, candidate Yadav stated that it does not have the public base that is rumored on social media. He alleged that RSP sold tickets after taking large sums of money from businessmen and elite families.

From Teacher to Politics

The Communist Party of Nepal has nominated Bharat Sah, a retired teacher, as its candidate in Bara-3. Sah, who joined the CPN after leaving CPN-UML, believes that voters will favor him this time as the public is tired of the major parties.

"I have served the public a lot while in the teaching profession; I played a significant role in building school buildings in various places," said Sah. "Jwalaji, Phurmualla, Rambabu, Pramodji have been elected before, so I think they will give a chance to a new face this time."

Sah commented that incumbent Federal Parliamentarian Jwala Kumari Sah failed to construct the 3-kilometer Kalaiya road section and that the public has many grievances against her.

Bara-3 has a majority of Yadav, Sah, and Muslim communities.

"I am Excellent in People's Change" - RSP Candidate

The Rastriya Swatantra Party has nominated Arbind Sah in Bara-3. Sah, whose birthplace is Kalaiya but resides in Kathmandu, is the Executive Director of the 'Khalti App' (online payment system). Although Chandan Saraf was initially set to be the candidate in Bara-3, Sah received the ticket at the last moment.

RSP candidate Sah claimed that this election is a contest between 'Old Candidates versus New'. "If they had done good work after winning, there would have been competition, but because they didn't work, it's now a competition of 'Old versus New'; the old profile is useless," said Sah. "The people have already made their judicious decision."