As election campaign gears up across Nepal for the March 5 general elections, former Mayor of Kathmandu, Balendra Shah “Balen,” traveled to eight districts of Koshi province to meet the local people besides visiting his ancestral town Janakpur in Dhanusha district before returning to Kathmandu on Saturday. is Janakpur speech in Maithali language earned much appreciation.
Balen was a crowd puller wherever he visited as part of his election campaign in districts of Koshi Province including Jhapa, Sunsari, Morang, Taplejung, Ilam, Terhathum Sankhuwasabha and Dhankuta, said local observers. People from all age groups including youths, children, senior citizens and women all wanted to see and greet him wherever he goes. Youths and children were eager to take selfie with him during his week long tour to Koshi province. During his stay in Damak of Jhapa district in the Koshi Province, more than 3,000 fans visited the house where he was staying, in a single day, according to a local journalist.
Balen is a candidate from Jhapa 5 constituency, where he is challenging deposed Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Oli was also present in Jhapa 5, when Balen reached the district to meet his fans, sympathizers and cadres of Rastriya Swotantra Party. During the nomination filing day on January 20 there was a brief scuffle between the supporters of Oli and Balen in Damak Municipality of Jhapa district.
Both Balen and Oli have declared them as Prime Ministerial candidate for the upcoming House of Representatives election. Jhapa district is a traditional strong hold of Oli, who have won six out of seven Parliamentary elections in the past, where as Balen is a new candidate.
On the other hand Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa, who is also the Prime Ministerial candidate from his party, has also reached Sarlahi in Madhes Province from where he is contesting the parliamentary election. Thapa has attend meetings organized by the local unit of the party in Sarlahi 4, from where he filed nomination, and met his supporters there launching his election campaign.
Southern Nepal’s Jhapa district in Koshi Province and Sarlahi in Madhes Province have become a political epicentre these days as all three main aspirants of Prime Ministerial position are contesting election from this region.
In the past also Madhes, being a conscious region, was the centre of politics in Nepal. Being densely populated and having a large number of Parliamentary seats the Southern Nepal has always been an important region from political point of view.”Those who can influence the Madhes region can also gain political power,” pointed out a political analyst watching Madhesi politics closely. “Therefore, it is natural that in this election too political parties have intensified their campaign in the southern Nepal aiming to capture more and more seats in this region.”
All the three Prime Ministerial aspirants were trying to bring election wave from southern Nepal as the election date, March 5, is fast approaching.
