Brother of Prominent Politician Wins Parliamentary Seat After Sibling Withdraws Amid Party Rift

Surkhet. When Purnabahadur Khadka stepped away from the electoral arena this time, everyone predicted that the Congress's legacy in Surkhet-1 would be shattered. However, his younger brother, Bishnu Bahadur Khadka, prevented his elder brother's legacy from collapsing. According to the vote counting completed on Saturday, Bishnu defeated his closest rival, Dhruv Kumar Shahi of CPN-UML, by a margin of 8,000 votes. Khadka secured 26,895 votes, while UML's Shahi received 18,890 votes.

Tek Bahadur Singh of Rastriya Swatantra Party secured 14,729 votes, leaving CPN in fourth place. Bishnu won the election much more easily than anticipated. Bishnu is a transport entrepreneur. He also operates Maya Nursing in Birendranagar and owns a petrol pump.

Bishnu, deeply involved in business, faced a challenge in the electoral field for one reason. On one side, after the special general convention, his elder brother Purnabahadur had gone to court regarding the issue of Congress official recognition. Purnabahadur had been contesting elections in this constituency since 2048 BS. Khadka, who had led almost all ministries from small to large, was given the responsibility of acting president by the then Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba following the 'Genji' agitation on Bhadra 23 and 24. Furthermore, Khadka was widely discussed as the future president of the Congress. According to leaders close to Khadka, Deuba was promoting him as the future president.

If a regular general convention had been held, Khadka would have been a major contender for the presidency. Accordingly, the Khadka faction tried every effort to stop the special general convention. The district presidents of 9 out of 10 districts in Karnali even issued a statement opposing the special general convention. Most of the general convention representatives from Karnali also stood with the Khadka faction, sending a message of unity behind Khadka's decision. However, the then Joint Secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma, among others, organized a special general convention in the last week of Poush.

Gagan Kumar Thapa became the president from that special general convention. Purnabahadur Khadka approached the Election Commission with the issue of official recognition; after the Commission ruled in favor of the special general convention, Khadka approached the Supreme Court. After the case became sub-judice, Khadka decided not to contest the election.

'My claim is that the decision made by the Election Commission regarding the Congress party on Magh 4, which is against the Constitution, the Political Parties Act, and the Congress statute, was filed in the Supreme Court for justice on Magh 4 by myself,' he stated on social media, 'The committee elected through an illegal special general convention is automatically illegal. Therefore, being a candidate with a ticket issued by the decision and signature of these individuals is contrary to my lifelong political values and ethical stance.'

He had said that for this reason, despite the love, trust, and faith of party colleagues and general voters, he decided not to contest the House of Representatives election this time. Khadka, who had been contesting elections in Surkhet-1 since 2048 BS, was recommended as the sole candidate for the election by Congress Surkhet this time as well. It was also said that he would be the next party president and prime ministerial candidate. A leader stated that Khadka was recommended solely to convey that very message.

'In every respect, he was the leader who would become the future party president and prime minister,' says a leader from Surkhet, 'But in the middle, the other faction forcefully held a special general convention, and the plans were shattered.'

Khadka left the electoral field, but his brother Bishnu Kumar Khadka became a candidate from Surkhet-1 with a ticket signed by the same Gagan Thapa. Some raised a moral question—the elder brother goes to court saying he doesn't accept Gagan as president, while the younger brother gets a ticket signed by him. Bishnu secured the ticket at the last moment on the day of candidacy registration.

These challenges existed on one side, and on the other, former District Vice President of Congress, Tek Bahadur Singh, was in the electoral field from RPP. Furthermore, experienced CPN leader Dhruv Kumar Shahi, who had been competing against his own brother, was also in the field. Despite this, Bishnu succeeded in bringing the election in his favor.

In fact, he is also the strategist for his elder brother Purnabahadur during almost every election campaign. Bishnu, known everywhere, is the District Vice President of the party in Surkhet. According to Congress leaders, while Purnabahadur was busy in central politics, Bishnu managed all the ground-level work. Bishnu was present during the death of any person or major accident in that constituency. Since he owns a private hospital in Birendranagar, he was involved in service-oriented activities such as providing treatment easily to those with weak financial conditions. Those who know him closely say that the election result came in his favor as a result of that.

Another interesting point is that Bishnu defeated his own brother's competitor. The defeated CPN leader Dhruv Kumar Shahi was defeated alongside Purna in the previous election (2079 BS). In 2074 BS, Dhruv had defeated Purna.