Former Bank Colleagues Face Off in Syangja-1 Election Battleground

Pokhara. Bharat Dhakal and Min Prasad Gurung once sat at the same table to make Muktinath Bikas Bank excellent. This bank, headquartered in Syangja, has now spread across the country. Dhakal completed his tenure as the bank's Chief Executive Officer for 12 years and later as Chairman.

Gurung also managed the bank as Chairman for one term. Dhakal was the CEO when Gurung was the Chairman. Now, both of them are on a mission to defeat each other. They have entered the electoral arena as competitors for the House of Representatives Member from Syangja Constituency-1. The Nepali Congress has given the ticket to Dhakal, while Gurung is the CPN-UML candidate.

“Yesterday, we were co-travelers in building the bank. Today, we have become competitors in politics,” says Min, “This is a beautiful aspect of democracy. It would have been better if there were no competition, but now that we are in the field, I take this in an easy and cordial manner.” Gurung is a person who has completed his term after being elected as a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly in 2074 BS. Dhakal, however, is a new face in politics. Although active in party politics, he has not faced a general election. They are founding colleagues who established Muktinath Bikas Bank in 2063 BS.

There are 12 candidates in the field in Syangja-1. They are aiming to win the election by following up on the employment they provided at the bank. “We are travelers in the same boat. We built the bank with the same dream. But today, time and necessity have changed,” says Bharat, “Just as I led the organization and showed results as CEO, I now have a similar vision in politics. My competition is not with individuals, but with agendas.” They are equally active in the social sector as well. In the battle between the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has fielded former CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board, Dr. Dhananjay Regmi. Regmi has been active in door-to-door campaigning in the constituency for the last six months. Since joining the RSP, he has been meeting voters and seeking votes.

He holds a Ph.D. in ‘Economic Science’ from Japan and is an expert on glaciers and climate change. Looking at the past history, Syangja-1 has always been dominated by the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML. In the previous election, Congress's Raju Thapa won, while CPN-UML was second and RSP was third. Currently, there is extreme dissatisfaction among citizens towards the old parties. Moreover, winning the election is not easy for the RSP due to its weak organization. “Both of them are respectable, but the traditional parties and ideologies they represent cannot run the country anymore,” Regmi says, “I am an expert in tourism and development. I have a clear blueprint for tourism and economy suitable for the soil of Syangja.”

Many predict a hung contest in this constituency. Furthermore, the CPN (Maoist Centre) has put forward former combatant Shailendra Ghimire. Having gone through student politics and underground life, he is seeking victory amidst the competition of three parties. However, the CPN (Maoist Centre) is very weak in this constituency. In this constituency with 130,886 voters, all candidates are reaching voters' doorsteps with their agendas.

What were the results in previous elections?
Syangja-1 has seen mixed results from the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML in previous elections. In 2048 BS, Congress's Gopalman Shrestha won with 17,266 votes, while the CPN-UML candidate received only 10,262 votes. In 2051 BS, CPN-UML's Trilochana Sharma Dhakal was elected, and in 2056 BS, it was CPN-UML's Hitkaji Gurung.

In 2051 BS, Trilochana won with 20,969 votes, while Congress's Capt. Rudraman Gurung received 17,974 votes. In 2056 BS, Hitkaji secured 22,733 votes, while Congress's Jagatbandhu Aryal received 20,722 votes. In 2064 BS, CPN-UML's Hitkaji Gurung also registered a victory with 18,101 votes.

In 2070 BS, Congress's Raju Thapa won with 16,699 votes, while CPN-UML's Narayan Marasini received 14,411 votes. The then CPN (Maoist Centre)'s Shailendra Ghimire received only 4,710 votes. That same Shailendra is now the candidate from the CPN (Maoist Centre). In 2074 BS, CPN-UML's Narayan Marasini won with 39,226 votes, while Congress's Raju Thapa received only 28,662 votes. In 2079 BS, Congress's Raju Thapa won with 31,999 votes, while CPN-UML's Narayan Marasini was defeated with 28,744 votes. RSP's Bodhraj Regmi received 6,065 votes.

In the proportional representation category, CPN-UML became the first party. CPN-UML received 26,012 votes, while Congress received 25,431 votes. RSP received 11,276 votes. The CPN (Maoist Centre) received only 3,579 votes. The candidates from Congress and CPN-UML are seeking votes with details of the work done while they were in government, whereas the RSP candidate is asking for votes by stating that the previous governments did nothing and thus RSP should be elected. Everyone has made good governance and transparency their main agenda, while also committing to everything from stopping migration to creating employment.