KATHMANDU: Newly elected President of the Nepali Congress, Gagan Kumar Thapa, will contest the upcoming House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5 from Sarlahi-4.
Thapa’s candidacy from Sarlahi comes after weeks of internal debate within the party. Although his name had been recommended from both Kathmandu-4 and Sarlahi-4 on a single recommendation basis, the party had initially moved forward with Kathmandu-4, a constituency Thapa has represented for years.
During the run-up to the party’s special general convention, a delegation of local Congress leaders from Sarlahi had travelled to Kathmandu, demanding that Thapa contest from Sarlahi-4. At the time of ticket distribution, senior leaders, including then party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, had suggested Thapa choose one of the two constituencies. Thapa had opted to remain in Kathmandu-4.
However, following the political realignment and his election as party chair through the special general convention, Thapa has now shifted to Sarlahi-4. He has handed over Kathmandu-4 to a close ally and cricket commentator, Sachin Timilsina. Thapa has been elected three times from Kathmandu-4, in the 2013 Constituent Assembly election and the parliamentary elections of 2017 and 2022. He was earlier elected under the proportional representation system in 2008.
Thapa’s move to Sarlahi is not entirely new. His potential candidacy from the constituency had surfaced in previous elections as well. During the 2022 House election, Thapa had been preparing to contest from Sarlahi after paving the way for his trusted aide Dr. Swarnim Wagle to run from Kathmandu-4. However, political equations did not align, and Thapa eventually contested from Kathmandu, while Wagle, now vice-chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), did not enter the race from the constituency.
In Sarlahi-4, Thapa will face a formidable challenger in Dr. Amaresh Kumar Singh, a former Congress colleague with whom he once worked closely to strengthen the party in the district. Singh, who won the 2022 election as an independent candidate after being denied a Congress ticket, has since joined the RSP, emerging as one of the party’s strong contenders in the constituency. Singh entered RSP just on Monday.
In the 2022 election, Singh secured victory with 21,017 votes. His closest rival, Congress candidate Nagendra Kumar, received 18,253 votes, despite backing from the then CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist). Independent candidate Madhumala Kumari Yadav finished third with 14,622 votes, while Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal’s Rajesh Kumar Mishra placed fourth with 5,813 votes. RSP candidate Dhiraj Thakur had secured just 318 votes at the time.
For the upcoming election, CPN-UML has nominated Ravi Singh Kushwaha, while the Nepal Communist Party has fielded Dr. Ragnis Rai Yadav from Sarlahi-4, making the contest multi-cornered.
Congress leaders active in the district acknowledge that Thapa may face challenges on the ground. According to party sources, all but one village in Sarlahi-4 have a predominantly Madhesi population, which could pose difficulties for an outsider candidate.
“Unlike Kathmandu, campaigning in border districts is far more complex. In Sarlahi-4, all but one village are Madhesi-dominated, and Thapa is facing a former political ally as his main rival,” a Congress source said.
With shifting alliances and high-profile candidates, Sarlahi-4 is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched constituencies in the upcoming House election.
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