Kathmandu, February 9 Weeks before the March 5 general election, the Jhapa constituency in eastern Nepal has been in the spotlight, with former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah ('Balen') challenging deposed Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
On Sunday alone, 'Balen', the popular rapper-turned-politician and the face of the Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP), reached the Jhapa-5 constituency in the Koshi province, while Oli, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) – CPN-UML – had already arrived two days earlier to launch a door-to-door campaign to win over voters.
Oli has won parliamentary elections from the Jhapa district six times out of seven in the past. In the last election, he defeated the Nepali Congress candidate by a significant margin.
"However, this time, the fight will be tougher for Oli, who was forced to resign during the Gen Z movement in September last year," said Charan Prasai, a senior rights activist who is closely following Nepalese politics.
The March 5 election was necessitated after Oli resigned on September 9 following violent protests by a youth-led Gen Z group against his government over corruption and a ban on social media.
Sushila Karki became the interim prime minister on September 12 and recommended to the president to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold the general election on March 5.
This is the second time that 'Balen' has launched a campaign in Jhapa in as many weeks. "On Sunday alone, 'Balen' visited at least a dozen places and met voters during the door-to-door campaign," said RSP sources.
'Balen' chose Jhapa-5, Oli's stronghold, as he has already declared his intention to directly challenge the ruling party and aim for the top executive position in the country.
As electioneering gained momentum, security has been intensified in Jhapa district, where these two influential candidates are contesting, said Nepal Police sources.
Although there are candidates from other parties as well, the contest is mainly between Oli and 'Balen'.
Other contestants include Mandhara Paudel from Nepali Congress, Ranjit Tamang from Nepali Communist Party, and Laxmi Sangraula from Rastriya Prajatantra Party.
