KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 25
The loss should set alarm bells ringing, forcing DSP-N and JSP-N to mend their ways, say political pundits
The Democratic Socialist Party-Nepal and the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal that had come to prominence in Madhes politics post-2007 Madhes movement have lost considerable vote-share in two new outfits in the parliamentary and provincial assembly polls held on November 20.
Two new political parties - the CK Raut-led Janmat Party and the Ranjita Shrestha-led Nagarik Unmukti Party - have carved a niche for themselves in Madhes, slicing off the vote-share of the two established parties.
Though the Janmat Party has won only one parliamentary seat so far, the win is noteworthy as it has dealt a major blow to the JSP-N, with Raut defeating JSP-N Chair Upendra Yadav in Saptari-1 by a huge margin.
The NUP, on the other hand, has already won three seats - two in Kailali district, the birth place of Resham Chaudhary (who is cooling his heels in prison for Tikapur carnage of 2015), and one in the neighbouring Bardiya district. Shrestha is the wife of Chaudhary.
DSP-N and JSP-N had won 11 and 10 parliamentary FPTP seats in 2017, but this time they have so far won only four and three seats, respectively.
Though the JSP-N was leading in three constituencies, the DSP-N has no candidate leading in any parliamentary seat.
The JP may have won just one parliamentary seat, but it has surprised political pundits by its performance in Madhes assembly constituencies where it had fielded 100 or so candidates . In some constituencies, its candidates have got second or third highest votes.
The Nagarik Unmukti Party, on the other hand, had targeted western Tarai districts. Both its wins in the parliamentary polls are from there.
Raut was once a vociferous advocate of Madhes secession, but later joined political mainstream in 2019. His win over Yadav has made his party a household name in the region.
Though JSP-N and DSP-N have more seats than the Janmat Party, erosion of their vote share should set alarm bells ringing in the think tanks of the two parties. The vote-share loss will be even larger in the next election if they do not mend their ways, say political pundits.
In the last parliamentary elections held in 2017, the JSP-N and DSP-N had won 10 and 11 parliamentary FPTP seats and both had got six PR seats each after securing more than 400,000 PR votes.
Everywhere voters have a tendency to seek change and vote for those candidates who they believe could deliver on their promises. Nepali voters are no exception. Is this the reason why the DSP-N and the JSP-N are facing such a challenge from new political parties? The DSP-N and the JSP-N had promised voters that they would seek amendment to the constitution and run the provincial assembly government as a successful model of federalism, but failed to deliver on these fronts. "These two parties did not stick to their pledge because they gave more importance to joining the government than anything else," columnist Chandra Kishore told THT.
"Madhesi voters want progress and prosperity. They think that new forces can do better than the old guard."
He said the JSP-N and the DSP-N, whose political base was Madhes, forgot to address the concerns of thousands of people who had not been able to obtain their citizenship.
During the constitution-making process, Madhesi leaders had gone to Kailali to address mass meetings, but after 2017 general elections, the two Madhesi parties failed to raise Tharu empowerment issues. Tharus of the western Nepal had wanted the two parties to raise strongly the issue of Resham Chaudhary's release from prison.
However, Tharus perceived that the two parties were merely paying lip service to their cause.
They felt abandoned by the two parties. Chaudhary, who was convicted for Tikapur carnage, maintains his innocence.
"Victory of three Nagarik Unmkukti Party candidates is an endorsement of the Tharu empowerment issues that they had raised during the constitution making process" said political analyst Tula Narayan Shah.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 26, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
