Madhesh-Centric Parties and Leaders Fade from Election Spotlight Amidst Shifting Political Landscape

Kathmandu. Madhesh-centric parties and their leaders, who have been central to election discussions since 2064 BS, have been overshadowed this time around. Their current situation suggests they are caught between Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Nepali Congress.

The Congress is heavily influencing Madhesh by fielding its President, Gagan Thapa, as a prime ministerial candidate, while RSP is promoting Balen Shah for the same role. Both Thapa and Shah are contesting elections from the Terai region this time.  

The parties that emerged from the Madhesh movement are currently marginalized. In the first Constituent Assembly election of 2064 BS, Upendra Yadav was elected from two constituencies in Morang and Sunsari combined. His party, the Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum, was the leading force in Madhesh and the fourth largest overall, nearly matching CPN-UML in strength.

Rajendra Mahato, currently the Chairman of Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal, won from Sarlahi. Mahato was then part of the then Sadbhavana Party. Although Mahantha Thakur lost the election from Sarlahi Constituency No. 6, he was nominated and brought to the Constituent Assembly.

Similarly, JP Gupta (Saptari), Bijay Kumar Gachhadar (Sunsari), Sharad Singh Bhandari (Mahottari), Anil Jha (Rautahat), Laxman Lal Karna (Parsa), Renu Yadav (Saptari), and Rajkishore Yadav won from Siraha. Due to the wave of the Madhesh movement, they won easily.

However, by the time of the second Constituent Assembly elections, many of these leaders had lost. Leaders like Sharad Singh, Anil, and Rajkishore failed to gain public approval. Consequently, the year 2070 BS was not favorable for the Madhesi parties.

In the House of Representatives election of 2079 BS, the electoral fate of the parties and leaders focused on Madhesh politics was dire. Most prominent leaders were defeated.

Before the 2074 BS elections, Madhesi party leaders had launched protests demanding constitutional amendment. Although they announced they would boycott the elections until the amendment was made, they eventually relented.

Upendra won from Saptari-2, while Rajendra won from Dhanusha-3. Mahantha Thakur, after losing two consecutive elections, was elected to the House of Representatives from Mahottari in the 2074 BS election.

Almost all top leaders of the Madhesh-centric parties achieved favorable results in the 2074 BS election. Rajendra Mahato, who contested from Dhanusha after leaving Sarlahi, was highly discussed at that time; he defeated Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi.

In the 2079 election, Dr. CK Raut-led Janamat Party also participated in Madhesh. Raut and Upendra Yadav contested in Saptari-2, and Upendra's defeat garnered significant attention at that time.

However, Upendra won the election in Bara-2 by arranging for his party leader Ram Sahay Yadav, who had won there, to contest the by-election for Vice President.

In Sarlahi-2, the contest was between Rajendra and Mahendra Rai Yadav of the then CPN (Maoist Centre); Rajendra lost that election. They are contesting again from the same seat in the election scheduled for Falgun 21, but there is no buzz around them.

It is not just Rajendra; there is also little discussion surrounding Janamat Chairman Raut, who is a candidate in Saptari-2, and Upendra, who is contesting from Saptari-3.

Anilkumar Jha, Chairman of Nepal Sadbhavana Party, is this time a candidate for Nepali Congress in Rautahat-1, and he too has been overshadowed.

Why are Madhesi Parties and Leaders Not Being Discussed?

Political analyst and professor from Janakpur, Bhogendra Jha, attributes this situation to the failure of Madhesh-centric parties to transform themselves. “RSP is new, and the very old party Congress has come forward transformed, but the Madhesi parties have failed to transform themselves in any way,” Jha says, “That is why they have faded into the background.”

It is his understanding that Madhesh-centric parties have entered the elections carrying the same old agendas, the same old thinking, and the same old faces. “The issues they raised in 2064-65 BS are exactly the same ones they are raising now,” Jha explains, “The style of raising issues is also old, which is why those parties are marginalized.”

He states that the public desires change, but no change is visible in the Madhesh-centric parties. However, he believes that only the Madhesh-centric parties have the capacity to challenge RSP and Congress. “If the Madhesi parties had made even a little change after the Madhesh movement, RSP and Congress would not be getting this much attention in Madhesh,” he notes.  

Similarly, Sohan Sah, Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission of Madhesh Province and a social researcher, also observes a lack of change in Madhesi parties. He believes this is the reason for their marginalization. “The faces that entered Madhesh politics in 2062-063 BS are still there today,” Sah says, “After all this time, leadership development has not occurred within the parties; they haven't created new leaders, which has reduced attraction towards these parties.”

He suggests that this situation has arisen because Madhesi parties have not reformed their past mistakes. “The Congress has gained attraction because it came forward transformed, but the Madhesi parties have remained status quo,” he adds.

Mahantha Thakur, patron of JSP Nepal, has fielded his daughter as a candidate for the House of Representatives after becoming a member of the National Assembly himself. “Many people in Madhesh do not like this; if he hadn't gone, he should have given the opportunity to a new person, but they failed in that, which has disappointed many,” Sah continues. He also mentioned that Madhesi parties have failed to bring novelty to their issues.