Nine Former Ministers to Contest House Elections in Karnali

Surkhet. Nine former ministers, including four provincial ministers from Karnali, have entered the electoral race for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.

In Karnali, which has 12 constituencies, the candidates include four ministers from the Karnali provincial government and five ministers from the federal government. 

Former Finance Minister Janardan Sharma, former Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet, former Tourism Minister Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma, former Urban Development Minister Dhan Bahadur Budha, and former Chief Minister of Karnali and former Energy Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi are in the fray.

Similarly, former Karnali provincial government ministers Naresh Bhandari from Jumla, Gopal Sharma from Rukum West, Chandra Bahadur Shahi from Mugu, and Ammar Bahadur Thapa from Dailekh constituency No. 1 have become candidates. All these former ministers have backgrounds in the Maoist and Unified Socialist parties.

Current Status of Candidates

Janardan Sharma: Former Finance Minister Janardan Sharma is an influential leader of the former CPN (Maoist). At one time, he was a trusted confidant of CPN Coordinator Prachanda. Due to Prachanda's trust, he held significant influence in Karnali. There was a time when the Chief Minister of the Karnali government operated under his direction. This went as far as Mahendra Bahadur Shahi forming a high-level mechanism for operating the Karnali provincial government and appointing Janardan as the coordinator.

He had built such influence in Rukum West that it was believed anyone contesting in his name would win. However, he is now strategizing on how to win the election himself. He has left his former party and entered the election representing the Progressive Democratic Party. In Rukum West, Janardan is competing against his own former cadre, Gopal Sharma. Locals state that winning the election in Rukum West, once considered Janardan’s stronghold, will not be easy for him.

Shakti Bahadur Basnet: Former Home Minister Former Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet has entered the electoral battlefield from Jajarkot. It is anticipated that his main competition here will be with the Nepali Congress. While Basnet has consistently won elections from Jajarkot since joining the peace process, he now faces the challenge of managing leaders within his own party. Locals assess that winning will not be easy for Basnet after Ganesh Prasad Singh, an aspirant for the election ticket, announced his resignation from the party.

While he has always been successful in securing a ticket, locals say that winning the election from Jajarkot will not be easy this time. He is being challenged by Khadga BC of the Nepali Congress and Dammar Singh of the CPN (UML). Nepali Congress leaders claim that BC will be the people's choice as he is a youth who has remained active within the district.

Dhan Bahadur Budha: Former Urban Development Minister Former Urban Development Minister Dhan Bahadur Budha is contesting from Dolpa. Having served as a minister from the CPN (Unified Socialist) at the time, Budha is now a candidate from the Nepal Communist Party following party unification. Interestingly, he is competing against his own biological elder brother, Karna Bahadur Budha. Karna Bahadur Budha, a joint general secretary of the Nepali Congress, is also contesting from Dolpa.

Prakanda and Mahendra Face Off During the insurgency, Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma (Prakanda) was a war strategist. At that time, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi joined the People’s Liberation Army and participated in the People's War. While Mahendra Bahadur Shahi rose from a guerrilla to a division commander by the time of the peace process, Khadga Bahadur entered parliament as a legislator during the interim period.

Prakanda, a confidant of Prachanda, also became a minister in Prachanda's cabinet after the 2008 Constituent Assembly. Mahendra, who was in the Maoist combatant camps at that time, entered active politics after the 2011 Maoist split when Prakanda joined the leadership of Mohan Baidya. This time, both are facing off in Kalikot.

It is estimated that the political atmosphere in Kalikot will shift following the registration of the candidacy by Prakanda, who is also the spokesperson for the CPN.

For Mahendra, who has had opportunities to win various federal and provincial elections since the 2070 B.S Constituent Assembly, victory will not be easy this time. He is challenged by party central committee member Jiban Budha, who has filed a rebel candidacy. There are also estimations that the results in Kalikot could swing toward the Congress or UML due to the Maoist split, Prakanda's candidacy, and Mahendra's long parliamentary journey.