Dadeldhura Election Ground Zero: Candidates Navigate the Absence of Political Heavyweight Sher Bahadur Deuba

Dadeldhura. The campaigning for the House of Representatives election is intensifying. Candidates are meeting voters with their respective agendas and party manifestos, while voters are engaged in understanding the candidates in their constituency and forming opinions.

Among the voters in Dadeldhura, the interest seems to be more focused on Sher Bahadur Deuba, who has been 'ringed out' from active politics, rather than the candidates currently in the electoral arena. Dadeldhura is the home district of Deuba, who was removed from his post through a special general convention while serving his second term as the leader of the Nepali Congress. Many voters here perceive Deuba's political exit as 'unnatural.'

Perhaps sensing the lingering sympathy for Deuba among voters, most candidates running for the House of Representatives seat from Dadeldhura have refrained from criticizing him. Instead, candidates interpret Deuba as a 'national figure' and commit to being a source of trust for the people of Dadeldhura, just as Deuba was.

Nain Singh Mahar, the Nepali Congress candidate, stated that Deuba's absence is keenly felt in his election campaign. Speaking to Ratopati, he made it clear that the voters of Dadeldhura are looking for Deuba.

Also Read

‘With Deuba Gone, the Door to Alternatives Has Opened’

Two Candidates Sit at the Same Table for Tea and Snacks Before Going on Election Campaigning

“The leader whom I considered like Deuba, a personality I regarded more as a guardian than a leader, his absence at this time has saddened the hearts of the people,” Mahar said. “The people here want to touch him (Deuba), want to love him, want to caress him. They want to share their sorrows and pains with the leader, they want to cry, they want to embrace him.”

Mahar also claimed that Deuba is the most nationalist leader in Nepal currently. “The nationalist leader is Sher Bahadur Deuba, I can say that even today,” he said.

Mahar mentioned that an undesirable situation has arisen within the Nepali Congress. However, he stated that since the party's internal issue is sub judice in court, there is no need for extensive explanation during the election. “Our case regarding the party's official recognition being unjustly treated by the Election Commission is pending in court, but despite that, Congress had already decided to participate in the election. We all went to the election because we felt we must participate,” he said.

Mahar clearly stated his opinion that since they decided to go to the election, Sher Bahadur Deuba should also ask for votes in favor of the Congress. He also outlined his plan to continue the development projects initiated during Deuba's tenure.

Meanwhile, Man Singh Mal, the candidate from the Communist Party of Nepal, also expressed sympathy for Deuba. “We must have humanity and compassion. Humanity does not work without feeling,” he said. “Agitations happen, political changes occur, that is a different matter. The indecent behavior shown towards an 80-year-old man is not right.”

The CPN candidate Mal stated that Nepali Congress workers themselves prevented Deuba from reaching the public by misusing state power when Deuba was in power yesterday. He said, “They didn't even let him do the work he wanted to do, because he didn't get information about what was happening in the villages. The work was done to prevent him from reaching the people and to prevent the people from reaching him.”

Mal stated that Deuba becoming Prime Minister five times was a matter of fortune for Dadeldhura district. He said, “But we could not utilize it well, that is unfortunate. Therefore, the indecent behavior shown towards him is regrettable. I have sympathy for him regarding that.”

Asserting that he has seen sympathy for Deuba among the people of Dadeldhura, he made it clear that he felt the competition would have been one-sided in this election if Deuba had been the candidate from Congress. He said, “He has been beaten, and he has been pushed out of the party. Therefore, I also received sympathy along the lines of 'we must elect Deuba one last time.' But the party did not give him the ticket; that is an internal matter of the Congress.”

According to Mal, Congress workers in Dadeldhura appear divided at the moment. “In every village, Congress workers are saying that the person who has come claiming to be Deuba's representative managed to get the ticket by bypassing Deuba,” he said. “Many Congress workers are saying, ‘We became Congress because of Deuba; we cannot be Congress without Deuba.’”

During Deuba's political era in Dadeldhura, the UML used to appear relatively weak. With Deuba stepping out of the political arena, UML candidate Chakra Prasad Snehi is also encouraged. Expressing confidence that the people of Dadeldhura will side with the party capable of influencing national politics, he pointed out the possibility of the UML becoming a strong alternative following the end of the Deuba era.

Tara Prasad Joshi, the candidate from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, also says that Deuba's absence from the electoral field has increased the opportunity for voters to seek alternatives.

A voter from Amargadhi Municipality, who requested anonymity because he is a teacher by profession, said, “Before the 048 BS election, Dadeldhura had little identity in Nepal. When Deuba, who was elected as a Member of Parliament from here, became the Home Minister, Dadeldhura got a good chance to be recognized across the country because of Deuba.”

Tulsi Devi Pant, a resident of Amargadhi-5, also says that Deuba cannot be compared with others. She said, “Deuba has done work. It's not that he hasn't done anything. What will others do even this much!”