KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 17 The campaign for the House of Representatives elections slated for March 5 formally began on Monday, triggering a surge in political activity in Khotang district as it has across the country. The district, long regarded as a competitive left-leaning stronghold, is witnessing a renewed three-way contest among the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), with emerging parties also drawing attention. The Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have moved swiftly to consolidate their organisational bases, while the NCP has fielded leftist intellectual Hari Roka, seeking to capitalise on his academic credentials and national profile. According to Election Commission data from the 2022 proportional representation vote, UML emerged as the largest party in the district with 24,271 votes. The Nepali Congress followed with 18,672 votes, the then Maoist Centre secured 11,845 votes and the then Unified Socialist garnered 3,363 votes. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) received 1,497 votes. Khotang has 147,120 registered voters - 77,656 men and 69,464 women - across 10 local levels. Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality is the largest local unit with 35,760 voters, while Sakela Rural Municipality has the smallest electorate at 8,645 voters. A total of 1,881 new voters have been added this cycle. The district will have 136 polling centres and 195 polling stations. Nepali Congress candidate Birkaji Rai claimed that his party has achieved 'unprecedented unity' ahead of the election. 'All Congress cadres have been mobilised with a collective sense of responsibility,' Rai said. 'The situation of the Congress is safe. We believe we will win if we secure our organisational votes. All leaders are working together, and that makes our prospects strong.' UML candidate Dev Bikram Rai, however, cited past election data as the main basis for his confidence. 'We were the first party according to the 2079 BS data as well,' he said. 'Even when five parties came together at that time, we were behind by only around 2,600 votes. We have a strong base in proportional representation. Congress and the Maoists were second and third.' He downplayed the potential impact of newer political forces. 'There is some noise around new parties. There are latent supporters of the bell symbol, and some discussion about labour culture politics, but they do not have enough votes to win. Our main competitor is the Congress,' he said, adding that UML's ward-level organisation and internal unity would be decisive. The NCP, meanwhile, is banking on the intellectual appeal of economist Roka. Roka had previously contested from Khotang in the 1999 general election under the banner of CPN (ML) after it split from UML, finishing third. He was defeated at the time by Nepali Congress candidate Shiva Kumar Basnet. Ram Kumar Rai 'Pasang', who proposed Roka's candidacy this time, said the party opted for him after assessing the political climate. 'Despite having six former MPs and ministers among us, we concluded that Hari Roka should be nominated in this complex situation. Everyone has accepted him as an intellectual,' Pasang said. He argued that internal factionalism and declining credibility within both the Congress and UML would benefit the NCP. 'The UML is in a weak state and has not been able to fully enter the field. The Congress is divided into three factions. In such a situation, the intellectual community and the general public will choose Hari Roka,' he claimed. Several prominent intellectuals, including Pitambar Sharma, Khagendra Sangraula and Prof Krishna Pokharel, have appealed for votes in Roka's favour through video messages on social media, drawing national attention to the Khotang race. The potential influence of newer parties such as the RSP and the Shram Sanskriti Party has become a subject of discussion. The latter is inspired by Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang's labour-centred political activism. UML candidate Dev Bikram Rai acknowledged that Sampang's roots in Khotang could influence some votes but maintained that the overall impact would be limited. The Nepali Congress, for its part, has accused newer parties of lacking a clear agenda and merely creating 'noise' without organisational depth. Historically, Khotang has witnessed shifting political dominance. In 1991 and 1994, UML candidates won the parliamentary elections. In 2056 BS, Nepali Congress candidates Shiva Kumar Basnet and Sarvadhan Rai were elected from the district's two constituencies. During the first Constituent Assembly election in 2008, Maoist candidates Samita Karki and Ram Kumar Rai emerged victorious, defeating both Congress and UML nominees. In the second Constituent Assembly election in 2013, UML's Bishal Bhattarai and Panchkarna Rai secured wins. In the 2017 parliamentary elections, UML's Bishal Bhattarai, contesting as part of the left alliance, defeated Congress candidate Saraswati Bajimaya with 37,837 votes against 23,465. However, in the 2022 House of Representatives elections, Ram Kumar Rai of the Maoist Centre won with the backing of a five-party alliance that included the Congress. Rai secured 31,351 votes, while UML's Bhattarai obtained 28,682. With the official campaign period now underway, Congress and UML are focusing on safeguarding their organisational strongholds, while the NCP is wagering on the personal credibility and intellectual stature of Roka. Political observers say that in a district with a history of tight contests and shifting alliances, even a modest swing in votes toward emerging parties could determine the final outcome. As polling day approaches, Khotang has once again become a closely watched electoral battleground, with party unity, candidate personality and the performance of new entrants all likely to shape the verdict of voters.