Election Ground Zero: Chitwan-3 Sees Mixed Reception for Incumbent, New Faces Emerge

Chitwan. When discussing local development, the name of Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan is never left out. Due to its wide and clean roads, Chitwan Metropolis has repeatedly been rated as excellent in national evaluations.

Nineteen wards of that Chitwan Metropolis fall under the House of Representatives constituency number-3. Renu Dahal, elected twice as the Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolis, is currently competing for a seat in the House of Representatives from Chitwan-3. Renu's contribution of about eight and a half years as the head of the Metropolis has established her as a 'leading' and 'heavyweight' leader in this constituency.

However, while Renu receives much praise nationally, the situation on the ground does not reflect the same. Perhaps for this reason, she is facing a tough struggle in the House of Representatives election in Bharatpur-3.

In the context of the House of Representatives election, Ratopati conducted on-site reporting and spoke with local voters in this constituency regarding the election atmosphere. During conversations with them, they praised Renu's work among the candidates in Chitwan-3. However, while local voters praised Renu's personal work, a large number were reluctant to vote for the traditional party. Some also criticized Renu's working style and personality.

Conversations with voters clearly indicated that the erosion of trust in traditionally established parties and the growing attraction towards relatively new parties might make it difficult for the development achieved by Renu within Bharatpur Metropolis to translate into votes.

• Praise for Development, Complaints of Discrimination

During the on-site study, we attempted to gauge the potential mood of voters in areas ranging from Chabiskoathi to Geetanagar, Gunjanagar, Meghuali, and up to Jagatpur. This area is also connected by the Metropolis's important Ring Road project. While most people praised Renu's work in physical infrastructure development in Bharatpur, some complainants were also found. Specifically, complaints against Renu regarding budget discrimination were encountered in that area.

Most people near the main roads in these areas praised 'Renu's development,' but upon entering the inner roads and alleys, they were not completely satisfied with Renu. They expressed grievances that the roads near their homes in the inner settlements had not been paved.

Some voters were heard saying, 'We will vote for whoever builds the road.' Some also expressed a mood to 'choose someone new' because representatives of traditional political parties had not done the work.

In conversations with us, some local businesspeople complained that the Metropolis had made business taxes excessively expensive. They also complained that businesses did not receive any subsidies or concessions in return.

A woman met in Gunjanagar complained that although she was engaged in commercial flower farming and visited the Metropolis repeatedly for subsidies, she could not receive a single rupee. 'Only those with connections receive agricultural subsidies, seeds, and machinery. Real workers like us are always neglected,' she said.

• Diminished Impact of 'Nepo Baby' Tag

Renu is the daughter of Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda,' the coordinator of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). For this reason, Renu has also faced the accusation of being a 'Nepo Baby.' Furthermore, during her first mayoral contest, she also faced allegations of tearing ballot papers. However, both these issues have become secondary now. In our conversations, no voter tagged her with the 'Nepo Baby' label.

However, some voters complained that as Mayor, she remained distant from the direct reach of the city dwellers. Specifically, locals were heard complaining that her secretariat kept her far from access and prevented the general public from meeting her.

• Tek Prasad in the Competition Level

Tek Prasad Gurung is the candidate from the Nepali Congress in this constituency. Sufficient sympathy from party-affiliated voters was visible towards Gurung. Amidst internal factional politics, Gurung was nominated by the Congress as an acceptable figure in Chitwan-3.

Many were found saying that he should be given an opportunity this time due to his contributions while staying in Chitwan and having never held any post of profit. Especially, those who have been voting for the Congress since the beginning were openly supporting Gurung this time. Renu appeared as the second choice for those who said they would vote for the Congress.

The Congress, which changed its leadership through a special convention completed on Magh 1, is attempting to present itself to the voters as a transformed party. However, the influence of the Congress, which claims to be the only party embracing the Gen Z movement, was not significantly visible on the ground in Chitwan-3.

Moreover, there was little public expectation regarding the role Gurung would play for Chitwan if he became a Member of Parliament. The number of people supporting him seemed largely based on the fact that he was from the Congress and the sympathy that he had 'not received anything' previously.

While new voters did not seem very attracted to Gurung, few voters were found who did not know him. Many voters analyzed him as the main competitor.

• Sobita's Entry Creates a Three-Way Battle

Another person of interest in this constituency is Sobita Gautam. Gautam, the candidate from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), seemed to be supported by the nationwide wave and her own personality while seeking votes.

However, even among those who praised Sobita's personality, the expectation that she would personally do something for this constituency did not seem high.

The craze for Balen in Chitwan did not seem to have much effect. Voters, whether openly supporting RSP or not, were found praising Rabi Lamichhane here. Besides this, RSP leaders expect that the votes of those who previously voted for the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) will now go to the 'Bell' symbol.

• 'City Beyond the Jungle' Could Be Decisive

One local level (municipality) falling under Chitwan Constituency No. 3 is Madi. The nine wards of that area, reached after crossing Chitwan National Park, fall under this constituency. Based on the votes secured by the then Maoist and Unified Socialist parties in the local elections, this area is considered a stronghold of the CPN. Therefore, it is being analyzed that Renu, who is 'defensive' within the Metropolis despite her good work, will have strong support from Madi.

However, RSP's assessment is slightly different. RSP leaders understand that the votes of those who voted for Bikram Pandey based on personal grounds in the previous election but not for the RPP will come to them this time.

If local analysts' statements are to be believed, voters in this constituency make their decision on who to vote for at the last moment and in 'blocks.' They believe this could make the competition, which appears 'fifty-fifty' in the Metropolis, decisive.

However, political analyst LB Chhetri states that it is premature to predict the election results in Chitwan right now. Chhetri analyzes that Chitwan has repeatedly delivered surprising election results and elected individuals who had no ground presence, suggesting that an unexpected result could emerge this time as well.

'This place has given strange results repeatedly,' says Chhetri, a former campus chief of Birendra Multiple Campus. 'This time too, whatever result comes, one should not be surprised.'