SARLAHI: On an open field in Haripurwa village of Sarlahi, some local youths were playing cards. A couple of elderly men stood nearby. During a casual conversation, the youths said they would vote for the “bell”, the election symbol of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), in the upcoming House of Representatives election, while the elderly men insisted that Mahindra Rai Yadav of Nepali Communist Party (NCP) would win again this time.
Haripurwa lies in the Sarlahi-2 seat of the House of Representatives. The youths accused Mahindra, who has won repeatedly, of doing little for the constituency’s development apart from constructing a single blacktopped road. The elderly men, however, said no one other than Mahindra had worked on the development of Sarlahi-2.
Mahindra is once again facing Rajendra Mahato of Rastriya Janamukti Party (RJP) in the elections scheduled for March 5. Mahindra is a member of the dissolved House of Representatives, while Rajendra was defeated from Sarlahi-2 in 2022.
As the two old rivals compete again, the RSP has also entered the race in Sarlahi-2. Robin Mahato is contesting from the RSP, while Dr Saroj Yadav is in the fray from the Nepali Congress (NC) and Nageshwar Sah from CPN-UML.
In the same village’s Musahar settlement, Rajendra Mahato was seen conducting door-to-door campaigning. Talking to Himal Press, Mahato said people were blessing him and appeared enthusiastic. He claimed that voters in Sarlahi-2 were seeking change.
He accused the RSP of using the face of Balen Shah and argued that the party lacked a transformative agenda. According to him, the RSP has no clear plan for the country’s future. He said the wave created by misusing Balen’s image would not translate into results.
Although Rajendra claimed that the recent wave seen in Madhesh would not make a difference, a segment of voters, particularly the youth, appears to favor the RSP. Many young voters seem determined not to vote for traditional leaders this time, calling for change.
Local voters say it is still unclear which candidate will ultimately dominate in Sarlahi-2. Though several candidates are in the race, the main contest appears to be among four: Mahindra from the NCP, Rajendra from the RMP, Saroj from the NC, and Robin from the RSP.
Since Rajendra and Robin belong to the same ethnic community, some voters believe their votes may split, potentially benefiting Mahindra.
In the 2022 election, Mahindra was a common candidate of several left parties as well as the NC. He defeated Rajendra by more than 2,000 votes. However, Mahindra is contesting alone this time.
NC Swept Local Level Elections
Sarlahi-2 includes wards from seven local units. The constituency covers Malangwa Municipality, Parsa Rural Municipality, Haripurwa Municipality, Brahmapuri Rural Municipality, and Kaudena Rural Municipality. It also includes wards 8–10 of Kabilasi Municipality, wards 5–8 of Bishnu Rural Municipality, and ward 15 of Ishwarpur Municipality.
In the 2022 local elections, mayors, deputy mayors, chairpersons, and vice-chairpersons of all local units in Sarlahi-2 were elected from the NC. In Brahmapuri Rural Municipality, the party won all seven ward chairs.
