Seven New Faces Emerge as Winners in Karnali's House of Representatives Elections; Several Former Ministers Ousted

Surkhet. Seven of the 12 individuals elected to the House of Representatives from Karnali in the elections held on Thursday are new faces.

Gyanendra Shahi was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the second time from Jumla, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi for the third time from Kalikot, and Dhan Bahadur Budha for the fourth time from Dolpa.

Similarly, Laxmi Prasad Pokharel, elected from Dailekh-2, had previously served as a member of the Second Constituent Assembly in 2070 BS, while Gopal Sharma, elected from Rukum West, became a Provincial Assembly member in 2074 BS and also served as Finance Minister.

Apart from them, most others made their 'debut' in the parliamentary elections for the first time. As voters chose new candidates, six former ministers who had been contesting elections for a long time were not trusted by the public this time.

Shaktibahadur Basnet, who had also served as the Deputy General Secretary of the then CPN (Maoist), was rejected by the people of Jajarkot this time. Basnet, a former minister, had won the House of Representatives election three times in 2070, 2074, and 2079 BS, achieving a 'hat-trick'.

He had led major ministries at the center, ranging from Forest and Energy to Home Affairs. However, there were widespread complaints that he failed to ensure adequate development in the district. Questions were raised against him even within his own party, the CPN, and leaders and cadres had urged him not to contest the election this time.

But when Prachanda handed him the ticket at the last moment, CPN leader Ganesh Prasad Singh abandoned the party, and dissatisfaction remained among other leaders and cadres. Despite this, Basnet, who contested the election, was defeated by Khadga Bahadur Budha of the Nepali Congress by a margin of 2,715 votes.

With the young leader Budha defeating Basnet, a former Home Minister, by such a large margin, the Maoist stronghold in Jajarkot has been broken. Congress's Budha received 20,142 votes, while Basnet received only 17,407 votes.

In 2079 BS, Basnet had won the election with 34,151 votes with the support of the Congress, but this time Congress itself put a 'brake' on his parliamentary journey.

Upon defeat, Basnet admitted his shortcomings. He said, 'When the same person remains in front of the public regularly, they feel they should get a new test. It is natural for the public to think, let's see some new faces as the same person, the same face keeps repeating.'

A CPN leader from Jajarkot stated that the cadres had conveyed the same message before the election, but Basnet did not heed it. 'It was not appropriate in itself to ignore the party's condition and the public's condition in the district, but always stay close to Prachanda and remain in power,' the leader said, 'The public has taught him a lesson now.'

Former Minister Janardan Sharma also failed to win the election this time. Sharma, a key commander of the armed conflict, had won the House of Representatives election four times in 2064, 2070, 2074, and 2079 BS with overwhelming majorities.

Sharma, who was the Deputy General Secretary in the Maoist party, formed the Progressive Democratic Party (PrLoPa) separately and entered the elections, rather than participating in the unity campaign started by Prachanda. Sharma, who contested the election under the 'eye' election symbol from that party, was not endorsed by Rukum West this time. Sharma also had the support of the UML this time, but he received votes in the third position.

CPN's Gopal Sharma won the election with 21,609 votes, while Congress's Raju KC received 16,661 votes in second place. Janardan received 14,346 votes in third place. Sharma is considered the architect of development in Rukum. It was through his initiative that the work of constructing roads by bringing bulldozers via helicopter started for the first time. Yet, he could not win the election.

Although defeated in the election, Sharma has committed to supporting every step taken in the interest of the nation. Sharma stated, 'Whether in office or not, I will always work for the development of Rukum.'

Another former minister who lost the election this time is Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma 'Prakanda'. He suffered a shameful defeat after contesting the election after 18 years from the CPN (Maoist) led by Biplav. Having returned from bullet to ballot, he claimed he would win even if Prachanda and all parties united in Kalikot. But he could not even cross 5,000 votes.

CPN's Mahendra Bahadur Shahi won the election with 11,734 votes, while UML's Nagendra Shahi was second with 10,647 votes. Congress's Hars Bahadur Bam received 7,450 votes, while Prakanda received only 4,993 votes in fourth place.

He first contested the election in 2064 BS from the Maoist party, securing over 27,000 votes to win. At the center, he also held the responsibility of the Ministry of Women and Children and Tourism.

In 2069 BS, before the completion of his term as a Member of Parliament, he expressed dissatisfaction with Prachanda and joined Biplav, boycotting every subsequent election.

Recently, his party decided to participate in the elections. However, not only him but his entire party faced a dismal defeat. After losing the election, Prakanda stated that he would continue to work for the cause of independence.

Three former ministers of the Karnali Provincial Government were also rejected by the voters this time. They are Ammar Bahadur Thapa from Dailekh-1, Nares Bhandari from Jumla, and Chandra Bahadur Shahi from Mugu. All three contested the election from the CPN.

Thapa from Dailekh, who had been contesting parliamentary elections from UML since 2064 BS, won the election for the first time in 2070 BS. Thapa, who moved to the provincial level in 2074 BS, supported the then Maoist Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi to save his government by 'floor crossing' against the decision of the UML when the dispute within the then CPN reached its peak.

He became the Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development for six months around that time. After being disciplined by the UML, Thapa joined Madhav Nepal-led Unified Socialist during the split and won the House of Representatives election from the same constituency in 2079 BS with the support of the Congress.

His comment regarding teachers while serving as the Chairman of the Education Committee at the center became controversial. It is said that this comment caused his loss this time. He contested this time from the CPN formed by the alliance of Unified Socialist and Maoist, and suffered a humiliating defeat.

He finished in fourth place with only 4,256 votes. Basana Thapa, who was supported by Congress in the previous election, won the election with 12,372 votes, while UML's Rabindra Sharma was second with 11,796 votes.

RSP's Nandakishor Bista was third with 8,159 votes, while Thapa was in fourth place. After being defeated, Thapa said, 'I lost the election; I will not consider the loss as a defeat and will remain committed to the development and prosperity of the people of Dailekh; winning and losing is a natural process.'

Former Law Minister of Karnali, Nares Bhandari, lost the election by a margin of 3,181 votes. Bhandari, who established the Jumla development model, is known as an intellectual leader within the Maoist party.

However, the people of Jumla did not trust him this time. Gyanendra Shahi of RPP won the election with 14,816 votes, while he received 11,635 votes. Although the Maoist considered Jumla one of its strongholds, it has faced defeat in the last two elections.

Bhandari won the Constituent Assembly election in 2064 BS and became the Law Minister of Karnali after contesting the Provincial Assembly election in 2074 BS.

In Mugu, Chandra Bahadur Shahi was limited to third place with 5,558 votes. Congress's Khadga Bahadur Shahi won the election with 7,914 votes, while UML's Purnabahadur Rokaya received 6,718 votes in second place.

Chandra Bahadur Shahi contested elections from UML continuously from 2048 BS to 2064 BS, winning in 2056 BS. He became a Provincial Assembly member from UML in 2074 BS and joined the Unified Socialist during the split of UML.

At that time, he became the Minister of Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives of Karnali, and this time he was a candidate from the CPN formed by the alliance of Socialist and Maoist.