KATHMANDU: As nominations were filed on Tuesday for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5, dissatisfaction and rebellion has surfaced across several constituencies.
Rebel candidacies have emerged not only in smaller parties but also within major political forces, including the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress, and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), signalling deep internal rifts during the ticket distribution process.
In Kathmandu constituency No. 1, the Nepali Congress itself has witnessed an open rebellion. Party president Gagan Kumar Thapa denied a ticket to Prakash Man Singh, who had won the seat four consecutive times, and instead fielded Prabal Thapa, who was not even recommended by the district committee.
Following this decision, Baburam Acharya, who had been officially recommended by the district for the constituency, filed his candidacy as an independent rebel. Acharya had been among those recommended along with Prakash Man Singh, but the ticket was awarded to someone outside the recommendation list, triggering the revolt.
Rebellion has also surfaced in Kapilvastu. Congress youth leader Ashish Sharma filed an independent candidacy from Kapilvastu constituency No. 1 after the party centre awarded the ticket to Athar Kamal despite Sharma being recommended by the district committee.
The Nepali Communist Party (NCP) has also seen internal rebellion. In Sindhuli constituency No. 2, senior journalist and party leader Maheshwor Dahal filed a rebel candidacy against the party’s official nominee Lekhnath Dahal ‘Rajan’.
His candidacy was registered with the backing of the district committee and in the presence of senior leaders including Haribol Gajurel, Basanta Majhi, Paniraj Bamjan, and Binod Bik. Maheshwor Dahal was put forward after the party leadership repeated Lekhnath Dahal’s ticket by bypassing the district-level recommendation task force. Dahal is also a founding chair of the Revolutionary Journalists’ Association from the period of the armed conflict.
In Dang constituency No. 1, NCP leader Kul Prasad KC has filed an independent candidacy against Metmani Chaudhary after party coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ awarded the ticket to Chaudhary. KC, a former chief minister of Lumbini Province, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, and his rebellion is expected to complicate Chaudhary’s electoral prospects.
Similarly, in Kalikot, Karnali Province, rebel candidacy has been filed against former chief minister and senior NCP leader Mahendra Bahadur Shahi. Party leader Jivan Budha registered an independent candidacy, arguing that Shahi has already received repeated opportunities and has failed to make way for new leadership. Budha, a former National Assembly member, said Shahi’s reluctance to step aside forced him to contest independently. Shahi is considered a strong NCP leader, having won House elections in 2070 and 2079 BS and served as chief minister after winning the 2074 provincial election.
In Okhaldhunga, a major shake-up has occurred within the CPN-UML.
Influential leader Ambir Babu Gurung rebelled against the party’s decision and joined the NCP after UML chair KP Sharma Oli fielded Asmita Thapa, who was not recommended by the district committee, as the party’s candidate. Gurung reached Okhaldhunga by helicopter to register his nomination.
Oli’s decision sparked widespread unrest within the district UML, prompting district chair Gyan Bahadur Khadka to declare he would not campaign, while sister organisations even locked the party office. Gurung, a close aide of UML secretary Sherdhan Rai and a former state minister for physical infrastructure in Koshi Province, argued that Oli had undermined the dignity of recommended leaders by awarding the ticket “from his pocket.”
The Okhaldhunga district committee had earlier recommended five names, including Gurung, Yagya Raj Sunuwar, Nani Babu Budhathoki, and Gyan Bahadur Khadka. Despite a majority in the secretariat favouring either Sunuwar or Gurung, Oli pushed through Asmita Thapa’s candidacy, plunging the district unit into crisis. Observers say the UML infighting in Okhaldhunga is likely to benefit rival parties such as the Congress, NCP, and RSP.
RSP has not been spared either. In Okhaldhunga, rebel candidacy has been filed against the party’s official nominee Bishwaraj Pokharel. Youth leader Bikram Dahal registered his nomination as an independent, accusing the party of discrimination. His move is expected to put pressure on the RSP’s official candidate.
Another rebellion has emerged within the Nepali Congress in Kailali constituency No. 2. Mohan Singh Rathore filed an independent candidacy against the party’s official nominee Bijay Swar. Rathore had earlier lost the 2074 election to his own personal secretary Jhapat Rawal and later joined the Congress. The regional committee had recommended ten names for the seat, including Swar and Rathore, but once Swar received the ticket, Rathore chose to contest as a rebel candidate.
Comment