Election Results Reshape Political Landscape in Nepal's Karnali Province, New Party Emerges Strong

Surkhet. The House of Representatives election held last Thursday has brought a shift in the political positioning of parties in the Karnali Province.

While the competition for the top position has traditionally been between the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and CPN (Maoist Centre, currently the Communist Party of Nepal), this time the new political party, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has made a formidable appearance.

Although RSP emerged as the leading force nationwide in the first-past-the-post category, in Karnali, it managed to win only in Surkhet-2 out of the 12 House of Representatives constituencies, securing the second position in four other constituencies.

In the proportional representation (PR) category, RSP surpassed established parties like CPN-UML and the Communist Party of Nepal, coming in second place. RSP received 133,749 PR votes.

CPN-UML, which was the leading party in 079 with 183,130 votes, was limited to third place in the PR votes this time, securing 120,863 PR votes. In the direct elections, UML won only in Dailekh-2. Previously, UML had claimed itself to be the leading force in Karnali based on popular votes.

Nepali Congress, which was second in the PR category in 079 with 180,909 votes, became the leading party in both categories this time. Congress, which won 5 direct seats in Karnali, secured the first position in PR with 141,233 votes.

However, the Communist Party of Nepal, which considers Karnali its base area, was limited to fourth place in the PR category this time, receiving 107,101 PR votes.

The Communist Party, which secured the second position in direct elections with 4 seats, failed to secure good PR votes even after forming a party by uniting with the Unified Socialist, Maoist, and other communist factions before the election.

Analyzing the votes received by parties in Karnali, it is observed that one party won in a constituency in the direct election, while another party received more votes from the same constituency in the proportional representation category.

Here are the proportional representation votes received by parties in the Karnali House of Representatives election (district-wise)

Major Loss for CPN-UML Regionally

In Karnali, which has 10 districts, CPN-UML suffered the biggest loss in this election. In Rukum West, the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party received more PR votes than CPN-UML. The Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party was formed just a few days before the nomination filing for the election.

Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party received 7,202 votes, while CPN-UML received only 5,847 votes. Meanwhile, RSP secured the third position here with 10,149 votes.

Similarly, CPN-UML faced a major setback in Jumla. Here, RPP received more votes than CPN-UML.

In Jumla, while RPP's Gyanendra Shahi was elected in the direct election, his party secured the third position in the PR category with 6,552 votes. CPN-UML is in fourth place with 6,029 votes. RSP received 5,118 votes here. Although defeated in the direct election, the Communist Party of Nepal secured the first position in PR votes in Jumla, with Congress in second place.

Districts with Strong Presence of RSP

RSP has established a strong presence in districts like Surkhet, Salyan, and Dailekh.

In Surkhet, considered a strong fortress for CPN-UML and Congress, RSP took the top spot in the PR category with a total of 54,226 votes.

Regionally, Congress won both the direct and PR elections in Surkhet-1, while RSP achieved a 'clean sweep' in both categories in Surkhet-2.

Similarly, in Salyan, RSP, which came second in the direct election, succeeded in securing the first position in the PR category with 33,699 votes. CPN-UML had received more votes here in the previous election. Although RSP could not expand its influence in the mountainous districts, it has entered the competition.

According to senior journalist Prakash Adhikari, RSP's influence has not expanded much as most parts of Karnali are rural. He stated that it will take more time for RSP to establish its presence here.

Nevertheless, stakeholders say that securing the second position in PR and one seat in the direct election for the first time in Karnali is a significant achievement for RSP.

How Many Votes Did Other Parties Receive in PR?

Excluding the four major parties, RPP received 15,755 votes in Karnali, placing fifth.

Janardan Sharma-led Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party (PratiloPa) received 8,537 votes, Biplav-led Maoist received 5,936 votes, while Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party (NWPP), once a major political force, received 5,130 votes.

Harka Sampang-led Shram Sanskriti Party received 4,657 votes, JSP received 1,247, Sarvabhaum Nagarik Party received 1,053, Janata Sanrakshan received 1,034, and Janamorcha received 957 votes.