Political Atmosphere Heats Up in Koshi Province as Election Approaches

Biratnagar. As the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5 approaches, the political atmosphere in Koshi Province has heated up more than in other parts of the country. A total of 505 individuals have registered their candidacies across the 28 constituencies in the province.

According to Cholaraj Dangal, head of the Provincial Election Office in Biratnagar, while the number of candidates may change after the publication of the final list, the preliminary data confirms this number of registrations.

The density of candidates is particularly high in urban and politically sensitive areas. In Sunsari Constituency No. 4 alone, 34 people have filed their candidacies.

A total of 110 candidates are in the fray across all four constituencies of Sunsari. In Sunsari-1, the competition includes former mayor of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, Harka Raj Rai. In Sunsari-4, a major clash is expected between Gyanendra Bahadur Karki of the Nepali Congress and Jagadish Kusiyat of the CPN (UML). Karki had won this constituency in the previous election.

Morang and Jhapa at the Political Center, Jhapa Becomes the 'Epicenter'

In Morang, which includes the provincial capital Biratnagar, 118 candidates have filed nominations across six constituencies. Influential Nepali Congress leaders, including Dr. Shekhar Koirala, General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire, and Dr. Sunil Sharma, are among the competitors in Morang.

Meanwhile, 90 candidates have registered in the five constituencies of Jhapa. Among them, Constituency No. 5 is drawing the most attention. With the candidacies of CPN (UML) Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Balendra Shah (Balen) from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, this constituency has become the center of national political debate.

Since both parties have projected their candidates as future Prime Ministers, the defeat of one is certain here. For this reason, Jhapa-5 is being viewed as the 'epicenter' of this election.

In Jhapa-2, former Speaker Devraj Ghimire and Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar are in the field, while Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden is a candidate in Constituency No. 3.

Election Interest in Hilly and Mountainous Regions

According to the Provincial Election Office, a total of 31 candidates have registered in the two constituencies of Udayapur.

The competition is also significant in the hilly and mountainous districts of Koshi Province. Based on available data, there are 13 candidates in Taplejung, 15 in Panchthar, 27 in the two constituencies of Ilam, 16 in Sankhuwasabha, 12 in Terhathum, 12 in Bhojpur, 18 in Dhankuta, 12 in Solukhumbu, 15 in Khotang, and 16 in Okhaldhunga.

From Provincial Assembly Resignation to House of Representatives Election

Meanwhile, Bhakti Prasad Sitaula, a Rastriya Prajatantra Party member of the Provincial Assembly from Jhapa Constituency No. 4 (2), has resigned from his post to register his candidacy for the House of Representatives. He filed his nomination for Jhapa-4 on behalf of the RPP.

According to the Koshi Provincial Assembly Secretariat, Sitaula has submitted his resignation to the Speaker and completed the verification process. Following the acceptance of his resignation, the Provincial Assembly seat for that constituency is now vacant.

The Election Office stated that the nomination registration process was completed peacefully. Formal election campaigning is expected to intensify following the period for complaints, investigation, and the publication of the final candidate list.