CHITWAN, MARCH 3 Puja DC, a 26-year-old voter in Chitwan Constituency 2, stated that while Rabi Lamichhane is likely to win, Meena Kharel of the Nepali Congress appears to be a challenger this time. 'But I see Rabi Lamichhane winning here,' she told THT. Not only DC but also several other THT poll participants stated that the main competition is between Rabi Lamichhane and Meena Kharel. Prakash Magrati echoed Puja, stating that there is a wave of Balen and Ghanti, the election symbol of RSP. 'I don't see any other candidate having a chance because Lamichhane is such a solid candidate,' he stated. 'Moreover, he is RSP's president.' Meena Kharel, a 54-year-old candidate who rose through the student movement, and Rabi Lamichhane, the president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), are the two closest rivals among the 22 other candidates running in Chitwan-2. After 25 years, she has returned to electoral politics. She has been involved in social work for a long time and is well-known in Chitwan. She has been involved in the rescue, protection, and rehabilitation of vulnerable women and children for thirty years. Throughout her campaign, she keeps repeating this message. She has a significant amount of influence in the constituency because of her extensive work with women and children. Her campaign has not focused on Lamichhane's contentious image. The election climate in Chitwan-2 has changed under Kharel. According to some analysts, Lamichhane might not win this election easily like he did in the past. Kharel is recognised as a solid candidate by the RSP in addition to voters and rival parties. Lamichhane has therefore stepped up his door-to-door campaign in the last few days. Kharel seems to have a lot of sway over female voters. She is well-known among village women's groups because of her extensive work with women and children. RSP Chair Lamichhane is running for office for the third time, and Meena Kumari Kharel, a candidate from the NC, is a fresh face. Lamichhane has stated that he will sweep Chitwan-2 for the third time. However, Kharel is also thought to be a strong competitor. Her campaign has attracted a lot of attention from the public. In addition to villages and urban areas, this constituency includes a mix of Madhes and hill communities. Ten wards - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 29 - are included in this constituency within the Bharatpur Metropolitan City. This also holds true for each ward in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality and Kalika Municipality in Chitwan. Most of the wards in Bharatpur Metropolitan City's Ward 29 and Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality are situated in hilly areas. Thus, both rural and central urban Bharatpur are included in the constituency. To understand party influence in this area, prior election results must be examined. In the 2022 local elections, Chitrasen Adhikari, a candidate for the Nepali Congress, was elected Deputy Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, while Renu Dahal, a former candidate for the Maoist Centre's CPN, was elected Mayor. In wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, and 29 of Bharatpur, NC candidates were elected. While a candidate from the then-CPN (Unified Socialist) was elected in ward 7, UML candidates won in wards 3, 11, and 12. Similarly, the UML was elected to chair and vice-chair of Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality and mayor and deputy mayor of Kalika Municipality. Of the three constituencies in Chitwan, this one has the fewest voters. There are 137,152 voters in Chitwan-2, with 67,857 men, 60,294 women, and one third-gender voter, according to data released by the Election Commission. This constituencyhas been assigned 48 polling stations and 152 polling centres for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5. RSP Chair Lamichhane won the 2022 House of Representatives election by a wide margin, despite traditional parties controlling local elections. A year later, he won the by-election by an even wider margin. Lamichhane has once again selected Chitwan-2 as his constituency in hopes of winning reelection. Lamichhane garnered 49,300 votes in the 2022 election, despite Chitwan being the birthplace and stronghold of the RSP's 'Blue Revolution.' Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel of the UML received 14,652 votes, while his closest opponent, Nepali Congress candidate Umesh Shrestha, received 14,988. The UML's Pokhrel, on the other hand, received 44,670 votes in the 2017 general election, while his Nepali Congress opponent, Shesh Nath Adhikari, received 27,314 votes. Following his election victory in 2022, Lamichhane's citizenship issue came to light. His parliamentary position was revoked by the Supreme Court, which decided that he had not regained his Nepali citizenship after giving it up to become a US citizen. Later on, he was granted new citizenship.