New Face Emerges Victorious in Kanchanpur-1, Defeating Established Political Parties

Dhangadhi. A new face has emerged in Kanchanpur Constituency No. 1, traditionally considered a stronghold of older political parties.

Janak Singh Dhami, the candidate from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), was elected by securing 24,332 votes, leaving behind leaders from the established parties. Who is Janak Singh Dhami? Janak Singh Dhami was born on Poush 25, 2027 BS, in Shailya Shikar Municipality-6, Darchula.

His childhood was spent in the hills. After studying up to grade 9 at Shankarput High School in Pusti, Darchula, he moved to the Terai region of Kanchanpur in 2042 BS.

After moving to Kanchanpur, he passed the SLC examination in 2044 BS. Although he pursued studies up to the bachelor's level for higher education, he could not complete his studies due to domestic and various other reasons when it was time to take the final year exams.

During the 2046 BS Jana Andolan (People's Movement), he was active in student politics and was even jailed during the movement. Alongside politics, he also took up teaching as a profession for livelihood. After spending about 4 years in teaching, he went to South Korea for overseas employment.

Returning after witnessing the development in Korea, Dhami decided to do something in Nepal. After returning home, he made agriculture his main profession. He currently resides in Beldandi Rural Municipality-4. His main occupation is banana farming. He is commercially cultivating bananas on about 7-8 bighas of land in Punarbas Municipality.

He is known in the district as a businessman-farmer. He also manages the purchase and sale of bananas from local farmers by operating a banana ripening chamber.

Dhami's family and personal political background were linked to the Nepali Congress. Active in student politics through the Nepal Student Union (NSU) during the 2046 movement, he remained associated with Congress politics for a long time. He became disillusioned with the working style, corruption, and misgovernance of the old parties. Dhami says, "The system in the country changed, but the condition of the people did not. It pained me to see the leaders of the old parties engrossed in corruption and the country lagging behind." He adds, "This disillusionment inspired me to stand for change."

He joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) immediately after its establishment. For the past 3 years, he has been continuously engaged in expanding the RSP organization. Winning the election as someone from a different community in Kanchanpur-1, which has a majority of Tharu and Rana communities, was a challenge for him. He attributes his journey to Parliament to the agenda of change and his personal image.

After winning the election, Dhami stated that he would not make impossible promises like the old leaders.

He says, "In the past, leaders used to distribute petty and false dreams to win elections, such as 'I will get your son a job,' 'I will erect an electric pole for you,' 'I will build a road for you.'" He adds, "The job of a Member of Parliament is to formulate laws and policies. I have gone to clean the filth of Singha Durbar and end policy-level corruption. If the center above is clean, the bottom will automatically become clean."

He stated that he will work at the policy-making level but will not shy away from local problems.

He is aware of the main problems in Kanchanpur-1. The issue of those displaced by the Shuklaphanta National Park reserve has not been resolved for 49 years. Dhami describes this as a humanitarian problem and has committed to raising his voice in Parliament for its resolution.

Furthermore, he stated that his priorities include managing the annual erosion and flooding problems caused by the Dodha and Chaudhar rivers, the issue of unmanaged settlements, the landless squatters' problem, and the challenges of illegal trade and security due to the open border with India. "There is no regulation at the border, farmers do not get fertilizer, and park victims are living under tarps. I will work honestly to solve these problems," he said.