Madhesh Region Becomes Electoral Epicenter as High-Profile Candidates Face Off in Upcoming Elections

Janakpurdham. As the month of Falgun begins, the seasonal warmth is gradually increasing. Meanwhile, as the countdown for the House of Representatives election starts, the electoral fervor is intensifying.

This election, Jhapa-5 along with the Madhesh region is becoming an 'epicenter' because there is a significant number of heavyweight candidates in Madhesh Province. Sarlahi-4 is in the spotlight due to Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa. He is being challenged in this constituency by Amresh Kumar Singh, a candidate from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Similarly, in Dhanusha-3, former Vice President of the Congress, Bimalendra Nidhi, and former Minister and CPN-UML leader, Juli Kumari Mahato, are set to face each other. In Sarlahi-2, the contest is between Rajendra Mahato, Chairman of the Rastriya Mukti Party, and Mahindra Ray Yadav of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

Likewise, in Dhanusha-4, CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Raghubir Mahaseth is being challenged by Congress's outgoing Joint General Secretary and former Minister Mahendra Yadav. In Saptari-2, Dr. CK Raut, Chairman of the Janamat Party, is being challenged by Satish Singh of the Swabhiman Party, who split from him, and Umesh Yadav of the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal.

• Sarlahi-4: Amresh Challenges Gagan

The newly elected Congress President Gagan Thapa has left Kathmandu-4, where he has contested elections for a long time, and moved to Sarlahi-4 in Madhesh this time. In this constituency, Dr. Amresh Kumar Singh, who was once his colleague, is anticipated to challenge Thapa in the electoral field. Singh, who was elected as an independent candidate in the previous election, is contesting this time from the RSP.

In the 2079 House of Representatives election, Singh contested as an independent after not getting a ticket from the Congress. At that time, he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives by securing 20,017 votes. His closest rival, Congress candidate Nagendra Kumar, received 18,253 votes. He was supported by the then CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist). In that election, RSP candidate Dhiraj Thakur received only 318 votes. However, the entry of Amresh is expected to give the RSP a strong presence this time.

Nevertheless, there is also an analysis suggesting that winning will not be difficult for Gagan due to the strong organization of the Congress in Sarlahi-4.

Dhanusha-3: Three-way contest between Nidhi, Juli, and Manish

In Dhanusha Constituency No. 3, a three-way contest appears likely between former Vice President of Congress Bimalendra Nidhi, former Minister and CPN-UML leader Juli Kumari Mahato, and RSP spokesperson Manish Jha. In the previous election, Nidhi reached the House of Representatives through the proportional representation quota. When he contested from this constituency in the 2074 election, Nidhi was defeated by Rajendra Mahato, the candidate of the then RJP.

CPN-UML candidate Juli Kumari Mahato defeated Anil Kumar Jha of the then Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) in the 2079 election. But in this election, in this constituency where both Congress and CPN-UML have a strong hold, RSP is also in the field posing a challenge to Nidhi and Juli. The influence of the nationwide wave of RSP and Balen Shah seems to be affecting the Madhesh districts as well. Therefore, a three-way clash between Congress, CPN-UML, and RSP is expected in Dhanusha-3.

• Dhanusha-4: Raghubir versus Mahendra

Dhanusha-4 is another constituency where heavyweight leaders are being challenged by heavyweights in Madhesh. In this constituency, CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Raghubir Mahaseth and Congress's outgoing Joint General Secretary Mahendra Yadav are facing each other.

In the 2079 election, Mahaseth defeated Yadav to reach the House of Representatives. Mahaseth won by a narrow margin of 124 votes. Mahaseth secured 32,236 votes, while Mahendra received 32,112 votes.

After being defeated by a slim margin, Mahendra went to court. However, the court ruled against him.

The main competition is expected to be between these two candidates this time as well. Dhanusha-4 is considered a stronghold for both Congress and CPN-UML.

• Sarlahi-2: Rajendra and Mahindra Face Off for the Third Time

In Sarlahi Constituency No. 2, Mahindra Ray Yadav from CPN and Rajendra Mahato, Chairman of the Rastriya Mukti Party, have filed their candidacies. These two leaders have had political competition since the beginning. Both leaders are facing each other in the election for the third time. In the previous two contests, Mahindra succeeded in winning both times.

In the 2079 election, Mahindra, who contested under the election symbol of the then Maoist Centre, defeated Rajendra. Rajendra contested the election from the then Loktantrik Samajbadi Party. Mahindra won by securing 23,529 votes, while Rajendra was defeated after receiving 21,518 votes.

• Saptari-2: CK Raut Also Does Not Have an Easy Path

In the 2079 election, Saptari Constituency No. 2 was in the spotlight due to the contest between Dr. CK Raut, Chairman of the Janamat Party, and Upendra Yadav, Chairman of JSP Nepal. In that election, CK defeated Upendra by a large margin. Raut secured 35,042 votes, while Upendra received only 16,979 votes.

This time too, CK Raut is a candidate in this constituency, while Upendra has vacated the field and moved to Saptari-3. Even without Upendra, it is being analyzed that it will not be easy for CK this time. This is because Satish Singh, a former Chief Minister of Madhesh and a former colleague of his, and Umesh Yadav of JSP Nepal, a former minister, are challenging him. Singh is a candidate from the Swabhiman Party.

• Mahottari-2: Kiran Challenges Sharatsingh

Mahottari-2 has been viewed as an easy constituency for Sharatsingh Bhandari. However, in this election, it is anticipated that Congress leader Kiran Yadav will give a tough challenge to Bhandari.

In the 2079 House of Representatives election, Bhandari secured an easy victory by obtaining 25,190 votes, while the closest rival, Dr. Vijaykumar Singh of the then TMLP, received 11,120 votes.

In the 2074 House of Representatives election, Sharatsingh and Kiran contested from the same constituency. Even then, Bhandari secured an easy win. Bhandari received 30,722 votes, while Kiran received only 13,974 votes.