While Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D), Sadbhawana Party (SP) and Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) have already announced that they would field candidates also from hill districts, party insiders say other Madhes-based parties, including MPRF-Nepal and National Madhes Socialist Party planning to field candidates from constituencies in the hill districts.
As of now, MPRF-D has been making preparations to file candidacies also from various hill districts including, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Sankhuwasabha, Kavre, Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot, Surkhet, and Udayapur. Likewise, Sadbhawana Party plans to field candidacies from all 75 districts as the party already has formed district committees in 64 districts so far.
“We plan to field candidates in the hill districts so as to transform our party into a national party,” said General Secretary of Sadbhawana Party Manish Kumar Suman. “We will give election tickets to local leaders.”
However, Madhesi leaders acknowledge that they would not win any seats in the hill and mountain constituencies under the First Past the Post electoral system.
“I personally believe that this is merely a publicity gimmick. This would not give the Madhesi parties any leverage in the election,” said a senior Madhesi leader Rakesh Gupta Roshan, who is currently associated with JP Gupta-led Tarai-Madhes National Campaign.
Roshan suggested to the Madhes-based parties to stop this “gimmick” and instead focus their energies on forging alliances with other Madhes-based parties to ensure dignified victory in the polls.
Political analyst CK Lal believes that Madhesi parties could have been motivated to field candidates also from the hill districts as this is “no loss, but gain” game for them. “I see three purposes behind it. Firstly, they want to be seen as a national party. Secondly, to collect votes for proportional representation, and thirdly to build an international image,” argued Lal.
Another political analyst Chandrakishore said there are many examples in international politics where regional party has transformed into a national party. “This should not be construed only as an attempt to gain more seats under proportional representation system of election. What we should not forget is that politics is a game of uncertainty,” he said, adding, “It is equally possible for Madhesi leaders to bag seats from hilly districts as well.”
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