Mahabir Pun's Candidacy Heats Up Myagdi Election Race, Challenging Established Parties

Baglung. The political atmosphere in Myagdi, a Himalayan district of Gandaki Province, is heating up due to the upcoming House of Representatives election. While candidates are focusing on rural areas, the district headquarters, Beni Bazaar, is relatively quiet, although election discussions are ongoing.

Candidates are conducting door-to-door campaigns to woo voters. In Myagdi, which has only one constituency, there are 12 candidates in the running. This time, candidates including Karna Bahadur Bhandari from the Nepali Congress, Harikrishna Shrestha from CPN-UML, Arjun Bahadur Thapa from the CPN (Maoist Centre), and independent candidate Mahabir Pun are in the electoral field. With former minister Mahabir Pun also entering the fray, the election environment this time looks set to be interesting.

• Mahabir a Major Challenge for UML-Congress

It will not be easy to secure a victory in Myagdi this time, a district where CPN-UML has won twice and Nepali Congress once since the Second Constituent Assembly election. As former minister Mahabir Pun begins meeting voters in remote villages and settlements, the atmosphere appears to be building in his favor. Myagdi's politics have been turbulent since his candidacy.

The established parties have organizations reaching even the remote villages. The parties that contested the elections in an alliance in '074 (under the Left Alliance) and '079 (under the five-party alliance) are contesting alone this time. Coupled with this, many voters this time seem to favor a 'vote change,' which certainly makes Mahabir a significant challenge for the candidates from UML, Congress, and CPN (Maoist Centre).

It is anticipated that Mahabir can draw votes from many areas in Myagdi, which has a strong base of indigenous nationalities. With Mahabir, who has built a strong national and international image, becoming a candidate, voters from the younger generation to the older generation seem to be leaning towards a new face. However, since there is still more than two weeks until the voting day, the possibility of voters' 'mood' changing cannot be ruled out.

Bhandari of the Congress, Shrestha of the UML, and independent candidate Pun, along with Yuvraj Roka from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Arjun Bahadur Thapa from the CPN (Maoist Centre), Damber Bahadur Subedi from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Chhem Bahadur B.K. from the Rastriya Janamorcha, Devendra Kami from the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party, Bhim Bahadur Lama from the Mongol National Organization, Tul Prasad Garbuja from the National Republic Nepal, Binod Rana from the Shram Sanskriti Party, and Kshetra Bahadur Ghimire from the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) are in the electoral field in Myagdi this time.

Other candidates are also likely to cut into the votes of the established parties, making intense competition certain this time in Myagdi between Congress, UML, and the independent candidate. However, securing a victory appears to require significant effort.

• The History of Wins and Losses in Past Elections

In Myagdi, where CPN-UML won the Second Constituent Assembly election and the House of Representatives election in '074, the Nepali Congress won the parliamentary election in '079. In the Second Constituent Assembly election of 2070 BS, Navraj Sharma of CPN-UML was victorious, defeating Khamvir Garbuja of the Nepali Congress.

Sharma received 15,955 votes, while Congress's Garbuja received 12,905 votes. Lokendra Bista Magar of the then CPN (Maoist) came in third with 6,450 votes. Bhim Prasad Gauchan of RPP received 3,334 votes. A total of 41,196 votes were cast at that time.

In the House of Representatives election held in 2074 BS after the establishment of federalism, Bhupendra Bahadur Thapa of CPN-UML, representing the Left Alliance, was victorious. He also defeated Khamvir of the Nepali Congress. Thapa received 23,308 votes, while Garbuja received 20,980 votes.

Congress's Khamvir, who suffered consecutive defeats in '070 and '074, was elected in 2079 BS. Garbuja achieved victory through an alliance with CPN (Maoist Centre). He received 24,021 votes, while Shrestha received 20,180 votes. Shrestha from UML is contesting the election again this time.

Haribahadur Khatri Chhetri of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) received 1,424 votes. This time, Yuvraj Roka contested from (RSP). However, RSP decided to support independent candidate Mahabir Pun.

• Results of Previous Elections

Looking at the election results over the last decade and a half, CPN-UML appears as a strong force in Myagdi. UML, which won the Second Constituent Assembly election in 2070 BS and the House of Representatives election in '074, was defeated in '079. At that time, they faced the five-party alliance. But when contesting alone, they are the leading party.

Congress is seen in second place. According to the proportional representation vote results of '074 and '079, UML is ahead. In the '074 House of Representatives election, CPN-UML received 18,266 votes, Nepali Congress received 17,348, the then CPN (Maoist) received 4,303, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) received 1,151 votes.

In '079, UML's vote count remained almost the same, while Congress's vote count decreased. UML received 18,273 votes, while the Nepali Congress received 13,693 votes in the proportional representation. However, in the direct election, Congress received 24,021 votes. CPN (Maoist Centre) and Nepal Samajbadi Party together secured 9,070 votes. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) received 3,579 votes without an established organization.

• Results of the 2079 Local Level Election

Myagdi, which has only one electoral constituency, has one municipality and five rural municipalities. In the last local level elections, the Nepali Congress won Dhaulagiri and Raghuganga Rural Municipalities. Beni Municipality, Malika, Mangala, and Annapurna Rural Municipalities were won by CPN-UML.

• In Beni Municipality with 10 wards, Wards No. 2, 7, and 9 were won by Nepali Congress, Wards No. 1, 5, 6, 8, and 10 by CPN-UML, and Wards No. 3 and 4 by the then CPN (Maoist Centre).
• In Annapurna Rural Municipality with 8 wards, Wards No. 4, 5, 6 were won by Nepali Congress, and Wards No. 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 by CPN-UML.
• In Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality with 7 wards, Wards No. 3 and 5 were won by Nepali Congress, Wards No. 2, 4, and 6 by CPN-UML, and Wards No. 1 and 7 by Maoist Centre.
• In Mangala Rural Municipality with 5 wards, Ward No. 4 was won by Nepali Congress, Wards No. 1, 2, and 5 by CPN-UML, and Ward No. 3 by Maoist Centre.
• In Malika Rural Municipality with 7 wards, Wards No. 1, 4, and 5 were won by Nepali Congress, Wards No. 2, 6, and 7 by CPN-UML, and Ward No. 3 by Maoist Centre.
• In Raghuganga Rural Municipality with 8 wards, Wards No. 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8 were won by Nepali Congress, Wards No. 2, 3, and 7 by CPN-UML.

In this year's election, there are a total of 86,397 voters in Myagdi. The District Election Office, Myagdi, stated that there are 44,064 female, 42,332 male, and one other voter.