Election turns sour for heavyweights

Kathmandu, Dec. 10: The first general election that is being cherished as the key to implementing the constitution and institutionalising federalism is delivering interesting as well as astonishing results.

The election has been marked by the downfall of political heavyweights, both from the left and democratic alliances, although the number of defeats varies.

The left alliance, led by the CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) chairs KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, has set firm foothold in most of the constituencies, both of the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies.

The defeat of senior leader of the NC Ram Chandra Poudel, former deputy prime ministers amdev Gautam, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Bimalendra Nidhi, NC leaders Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, Mahesh Acharya, Shekhar Koirala and Arjun Narsingh KC has shocked many.

NC leader Poudel, who is also a former speaker, has lost the elections for the first time in his political career, to Krishna Kumar Shrestha of the CPN-UML in Tanahun, Constituency No. 1.

He succumbed to Shrestha with a huge margin. Shrestha garnered 34,492 votes against Poudel’s 27,690.

Poudel has been continuously winning the election from Tanahun since 1991.

Senior leader of the CPN (Maoist Centre) Narayan Kaji Shrestha and CPN-UML vice-chair Bamdev Gautam, former deputy prime ministers and orchestrators of the left alliance, lost the election for the House of Representatives although other senior leaders of both the parties have crossed the ‘first-pass-the-post’ test.

Bamdev lost the election to NC’s incumbent Irrigation Minister Sanjaya Kumar Gautam by a narrow margin of 753 votes in Bardiya Constituency No. 1. They garnered 44,076 and 44,829 votes respectively.

Likewise, former prime minister and coordinator of Naya Shakti Nepal Dr. Baburam Bhattarai defeated Narayan Kaji in Gorkha election Constituency 2. Bhattarai and Shrestha obtained 31,807 and 24,933 votes respectively.

Gorkha-2 had been a hot seat for both the leaders as well the most talked about area before the polls.

Former DPM Nidhi lost the election in his Dhanusa Constituency 3 to co-chair of Rastriya Janata Party Rajendra Mahato.

Mahato received 30,750 votes while Nidhi garnered 27,847 votes.

Former finance ministers Dr. Mahat and Acharya, who were also the torchbearers of economic liberalisation in the country, have lost the election.

Dr. Mahat, who was a liberal face of the NC, lost the election from Nuwakot -1 to CPN-MC’s Hit BahadurTamang.

Tamang and Dr. Mahat received 36,473 and 27,920 votes respectively.

Aman Lal Modi of the CPN-MC defeated Acharya in Morang-4. They got 33,529 and 26,800 votes respectively.

Similarly, another senior NC leader from Nuwakot Arjun Narsingh KC lost in with a huge margin of 10,557 votes to UML’s Narayan Prasad Khatiwada.

Khatiwada garnered 36,892 votes while KC received 26,335 votes.

In the same way, the first federal election also witnessed the defeat of NC’s leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula. He lost to Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Rajendra Lingden with a margin of more than 13,000 votes.

Lingden, the only candidate of the RPP to win the election to the House of Representatives so far, received 44,614 votes against Sitaula’s 31,171.

The NC had initially included Sitaula’s name in the list of candidates for Proportionate Representation and asked him to support Lingden in the election, but he jumped into the election fray, claiming he was capable of winning the polls.

Incumbent DPM and RPP chair Kamal Thapa lost the election in Makwanpur -1 to Krishna Prasad Dahal of the UML.

NC’s Dr. Shekhar Koirala, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Chinkaji Shrestha, Bala Bahadur KC and Navindra Raj Joshi also lost elections.

Information and Communications Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet and Prime Minister Sher Bahdaur Deuba's spouse Arzu Rana also suffered defeat.  

Other celebrity candidates who lost the election are Rabindra Mishra of Bibeksheel Sajha Party and Pashupati Shumsher Rana, Deepak Bohora and Sunil Thapa of RPP (Democrtaic).

Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Gachchhadar, who had won all elections held since 1990, is heading for loss to UML's  Bhagawati Chaudhari in Sunsari.