Brother vs. Brother: Political Rivalry Heats Up in Dolpa as Siblings Contest Parliamentary Seat

Surkhet. Karna Bahadur Budha and Dhan Bahadur Budha are brothers. In the upcoming House of Representatives election, these two brothers are competing against each other as candidates from different political parties.

Karna Bahadur has been nominated by the Nepali Congress, while Dhan Bahadur is a candidate from the CPN (Maoist Centre). The CPN-UML, however, has nominated Lank Bahadur Rokaya, strategizing to benefit from the clash between Karna Bahadur and Dhan Bahadur.

Karna Bahadur began his political career with the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). He contested in all three elections from 051 BS to 064 BS, finishing second in votes each time. In 051 BS, running for RPP, he was defeated by independent candidate Motiprasad Pahadi (a Congress rebel). In 056 BS, after his party denied him a ticket, he ran as an independent and lost to Nar Bahadur Budhathoki of the UML. In 064 BS, running again for RPP, he was defeated by Ram Bahadur Bohora of the Maoists.

In Dolpa, which was heavily influenced by the Maoist insurgency, Maoist candidate Bohora secured 9,723 votes, while Karna Bahadur received 3,427 votes.

Following Karna Bahadur's failure in three consecutive elections, his brother Dhan Bahadur Budha emerged strongly in Dolpa's politics. According to political activists in Dolpa, the Budha family has been involved in business for a long time. Karna Bahadur mostly resided in Kathmandu, whereas Dhan Bahadur remained in the district, engaging in trade and the construction business.

Not only Karna Bahadur and Dhan Bahadur, but Sher Bahadur Budha, the current Minister for Physical Infrastructure of Karnali Province, also belongs to this family. The Budha community dominates Dolpa's politics, even across different parties. In the 048 BS election, Kabu Budha was elected from the Congress, while Nandsingh Budha gained prominence for 'floor-crossing' alongside being a minister in Karnali.

However, the center of politics remains around the Karna Bahadur—Dhan Bahadur family. They are affluent individuals, and Dolpa's politics revolves around the Budha family. For this reason, the CPN-UML brought Dhan Bahadur, who was in the RPP, into the party and gave him a ticket for the 070 BS election. He joined the UML just a few days before the election. Dhan Bahadur won all elections since 070 BS, establishing dominance in Dolpa's politics. In the 070 BS election, running for the UML, he secured 6,967 votes and was elected, while Satya Pahadi of the Maoists received 2,774 votes.

Fagun 21 will see Dhan Bahadur contesting the House of Representatives election for the fourth time, carrying the 'Star' election symbol of the CPN (Maoist Centre). However, this time, his path is being blocked by his own elder brother, Karna Bahadur, in the electoral arena.

In 074 BS, Dhan Bahadur was re-elected as the joint candidate of the Left Alliance, securing 11,761 votes, defeating Congress candidate Angat Bahadur Budha. He also served as the Minister of Tourism when KP Oli became Prime Minister for the second time.

After the split of the UML, he joined the CPN (Unified Socialist). In 079 BS, running for the Unified Socialist, he was elected with 11,292 votes, supported by the Maoists and Congress. Ganesh Bahadur Shahi of the UML received 5,505 votes. Dhan Bahadur is currently known as the kingmaker in Dolpa's politics.

Fagun 21 will see Dhan Bahadur contesting the House of Representatives election for the fourth time, carrying the 'Star' election symbol of the CPN (Maoist Centre). However, this time, his path is being blocked by his own elder brother, Karna Bahadur, in the electoral arena.

Karna Bahadur is contesting as the Nepali Congress candidate, claiming he will break his brother's monopoly. He recently became a Joint General Secretary through the Congress's special general convention. He joined the Congress in 076 BS. Prior to that, he was a central member of the RPP.

• Karna Bahadur Claims, 'I Will Break My Brother's Monopoly'

Karna Bahadur claimed that he would break his brother's monopoly in Dolpa's politics through the upcoming election. Speaking to RatoPati during his election campaign, Karna Bahadur said, 'If he had done well in the district, I wouldn't have needed to enter the election. This time I will win the election and break my brother's dominance.'

Karna Bahadur accuses Dhan Bahadur of merely occupying the position and failing to ensure the proper development of Dolpa. 'When I visited Kaike, Mudhkechula Rural Municipality, and currently Jagadulla Rural Municipality, the public response has been very encouraging,' he said. 'The people have great faith and trust in me. No one has spoken ill of me.'

Dhan Bahadur also stated that he is in the electoral field and is receiving positive feedback.

Karna Bahadur also mentioned that his electoral competition would be against his own brother, Dhan Bahadur. 'There will certainly be competition; in the party system, there is no concept of elder brother-younger brother. I am an honest soldier of my party,' he added. 'My candidacy is to protect democracy and for the benefit of the party. The people recognize me as an honest and clean-image person.'

However, intellectuals in Dolpa analyze that defeating Dhan Bahadur will be difficult. The reason the CPN (Maoist Centre) has put forward Dhan Bahadur Budha is because they are confident he will secure their seat. Dhan Bahadur also stated that he is in the electoral field and is receiving positive feedback. 'I am currently campaigning, and everyone has given good feedback,' he added.

• UML Focused on Benefiting from the Brothers' Clash

Political activists and stakeholders in Dolpa assess that regardless of which brother wins, the political power within the Budha family will remain. However, Lank Bahadur Rokaya, the UML candidate, states that he has entered the electoral arena with a strategy to take Dolpa's politics outside of being confined within one family.

Rokaya, a 35-year-old young leader, is the Chairman of UML Dolpa. He is a well-known figure everywhere. Stating that the UML is strong in Dolpa organizationally and in all aspects, he claimed that the UML would win the election this time.

Rokaya was a candidate for the chairman of Mudhkechula Rural Municipality in 074 BS and 079 BS. Having lost by 5 votes in 074 BS and 37 votes in 079 BS, he is now a candidate for the House of Representatives.

When combining the votes of the Maoists and the Unified Socialist, the CPN (Maoist Centre) is strong.

In a conversation with RatoPati, he identified his main competitor as the CPN (Dhan Bahadur Budha). 'Based on the results of the 079 local elections, House of Representatives, Provincial Assembly elections, and organizationally, the UML is the first party, and the competing party is the CPN (Maoist Centre),' he said. 'The competition between the two brothers (Karna—Dhan) is a separate matter.'

According to Rokaya, there are 18,000 voters in the lower region of Dolpa, from where he is contesting. The upper region, where the Budha family brothers are candidates, has 6,000 voters. 'It has been 15 years since the lower region got a candidate,' Rokaya said. 'That's why people are showing sympathy towards me this time.'

In the 079 BS House of Representatives election, the UML received the highest number of votes in proportional representation with 6,294 votes. Similarly, the Maoists received 4,721, Congress 3,591, and the Unified Socialist 1,821 votes.

When combining the votes of the Maoists and the Unified Socialist, the CPN (Maoist Centre) is strong. Kabu Budha from the Congress won the election here in 048 BS. Since then, the Congress has not been able to win an election.