KATHMANDU, JANUARY 26 Kathmandu Constituency-2, which prefers to elect new representatives in each election, is experiencing a growing election fever. Election campaigning is only permitted by the Election Commission after March 16. Prior to that, candidates are prohibited from both going door-to-door to solicit votes and holding public election meetings. However, the candidates in Kathmandu Constituency-2 are not doing anything. Voters are being contacted both directly and indirectly. They are appealing for votes. The Election Commission reports that there are 28 contenders for Kathmandu Constituency- 2. Only 16 of these are affiliated with the party. The rest are independent candidates. According to political party leaders, some of them are 'dummy' candidates for major parties. To get around the election code of conduct, the major parties fielded dummy candidates. Such activities by the parties were observed during the general elections. The parties in Kathmandu Constituency-2 have followed the same pattern this time. Except for the CPN-UML and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), no party has run the same candidate here. The Nepali Congress, the largest party in the dissolved House of Representatives, has named Kabir Sharma (Phuyal) as its candidate. Sharma is 38 years old and served as the regional president. Additionally, he is a wellknown figure locally. CPN-UML fielded Maniram Phuyal, who was defeated in 2022. He is also a recognised figure who was elected to the Provincial Assembly in 2017. Sunil KC, 41, is the candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), who previously won the seat; Kuntidevi Pokharel, 39, is the candidate of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party. A young face has also been selected by the Nepali Communist Party (NCP). The NCP's candidate in Kathmandu Constituency 2, which was previously won by the party's coordinator, Madhav Kumar Nepal, is 38-year-old Nitesh Poudel, who works in Nepal's secretariat. He played a key role in the Youth Association through the UML. Even after the party split, he continued to lead the Youth Association. Madhav Nepal had won from Kathmandu constituency 2 in the 2017 general election. Newly formed parties such as the Progressive Democratic Party, Ujyaalo Nepal, Shram Sanskriti, Rastriya Mukti, Rastriya Pariwartan, and Aam Janata Party have also filed nominations here. As a result, it is difficult to predict the election results in Kathmandu-2, which has 88,708 voters. This constituency, which runs from the Balkumari Bridge in Koteshwor to Sindhupalchowk and Dosandh Chapbhanjyang in Kavre, has the second highest voter turnout of Kathmandu's ten constituencies. The highest number of voters is in Kathmandu Constituency-10. This constituency includes Kathmandu Metropolitan City Wards 9 and 32, Kageshwori Manohara Wards 4 through 9, and Shankarapur Municipality Wards 1 through 9. Voters themselves report that there are nearly four moods among Kathmandu-2 voters, which are linked to urban accessibility and difficult rural geography. Wards 9 and 32 (from Gaushala East to Koteshwor via Sinamangal) in Kathmandu Metropolitan City are entirely urban. Some wards in Kageshwori and Shankarapur municipalities are known as border areas. Sankhu is a marginal city, whereas Shankarapur's wards 1 (Nanglebhare), 2 (Patap), 3 (Jaharsinghpauwa), 4 (Lapsephedi), 5 (Palubari), and 8 (Ghumarchowak) are predominantly rural. The requirements here are different. The psychology of voters is also likely to differ. This is considered to be one of the major reasons that it keeps changing its representatives. RSP leader Sobita Gautam, who previously won in this constituency, has changed her mind and is now running in Chitwan Constituency-3. The Kathmandu constituency delivered unexpected results in the 2022 elections. Sobita Gautam, a 27-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party member from Dolakha Jamune, was elected legislator. Gautam was elected with 15,238 votes. Her opponent, Phuyal of the CPN-UML, received 11,566 votes, while RPP candidate Pokharel received 11,024 votes. Former speaker Onsari Gharti Magar was put forward as a common candidate by the Nepali Congress and the then-alliance CPN-MC. She garnered 9,459 votes. This time, the Nepali Congress has fielded Kabir Sharma (Phuyal), a local from Mulpani. Sunil KC, the Bagmati provincial assembly member elected by the RPP from Kathmandu-2 (A) in 2022, has run for the RSP this time. Despite winning the election with the RPP, he was in the group of Balendra (Balen) Shah, a former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and current senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party. He was instrumental in Shah's victory in the local mayoral election held prior to the provincial assembly election. He joined the RPP, but he didn't take part in its events or parliamentary party gatherings. KC, who was once considered Shah's ally and entered politics, has now become a candidate for Kathmandu Constituency-2 on Shah's recommendation.