KATHMANDU: Three major political parties in the country have decided to contest the upcoming by-elections for 44 vacant local body positions independently. This marks the end of the electoral alliances seen in the past few elections.
The Election Commission is holding the by-elections on December 1 to fill vacant positions in local units. Major parties have already finalized their candidates for the by-elections.
Of the three major parties, a coalition of the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML is currently leading the government, while the CPN (Maoist Center) is in the opposition. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is also contesting the local body by-polls. This will be the first participation of RSP, which was formed in 2022, in the local body polls.
All these parties have announced that they will contest the elections without forming alliances.
NC Under Pressure to Maintain Reputation
Experts say the NC will be under pressure to win most of the positions in the by-elections, as NC candidates won many of these seats in the 2022 local body elections. These include the mayor of Kirtipur Municipality in Kathmandu, chairperson of Gramthan Rural Municipality in Morang, chairperson of Mahabu Rural Municipality in Dailekh, deputy mayor of Nalgad Municipality in Jajarkot, vice chairperson of Gaurishankar Rural Municipality in Dolakha, and vice chairperson of Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality in Bajura.
In the 2022 elections, the NC had formed alliances with the Maoist Center and CPN (Unified Socialist). It won most of the seats with the support of these two parties. Such cooperation is unlikely this time. The party faced defeat in the recent by-elections for the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly seats. A UML candidate won the by-election in the Sudurpashchim Province Assembly seat in Bajhang – a seat that the NC won in the 2022 election.
NC leader Min Bishwakarma said the party will deploy all possible means and resources in the by-elections.
A Test of Government’s Popularity for UML
The UML sees the by-elections as a chance to test the government’s popularity since Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took office. Since most vacant positions were previously held by NC candidates, any victories in the by-elections would represent gains for the UML.
The UML has already announced candidates in many areas and plans to fully mobilize its party machinery to secure victories.
UML candidates were runners-up in several of these positions in the 2022 elections. In Gramthan Rural Municipality, UML’s Shiva Narayan Majhi lost to Jayaprakash Gachchhadar of NC by about 1,600 votes. The UML had won this rural municipality in the 2017 election.
In Kirtipur, UML’s Kesh Ranta Bajracharya lost to Rajkumar Nakarmi of NC by nearly 4,000 votes in the 2022 mayoral election. In Mahabu Rural Municipality of Dolakha, UML’s Hari Prasad Upadhayay lost to Laxman Gurung of NC by around 400 votes.
Maoists Center: Campaigning from Opposition
The by-elections will be a new test for the Maoist Center which is contesting on its own for the first time in many years.
The Maoist Center, which has held power frequently since joining mainstream politics, will contest these by-elections from the opposition. In the past, it formed alliances with either the UML or NC. However, an alliance with major parties this time seems unlikely.
While Maoist Center leaders are stating publicly that the party will contest independently, some leaders hint there could be some form of alliance with members of the Socialist Front.
Among the local body positions going to by-polls, the Maoist Center held the vice-chairperson position in Sarkegad Rural Municipality of Humla. The party is under pressure to retain this seat.
“We will field capable candidates and win the by-election,” Maoist Center Spokesperson Agni Prasad Sapkota said.
Partners in Government, Rivals in Elections
Although the NC and UML currently share power in the government, they will compete against each other in the by-elections. Both parties have numerous aspiring candidates, making an electoral alliance unlikely.
“The government partnership was born of necessity; it won’t extend to elections,” said UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali.
However, the UML is considering forming alliances with smaller parties in Madhesh Province.
NC leader Bishwakarma said since NC won most of these positions in 2022, their efforts would be on effective campaigning rather than forming alliances.
