In Nepali politics, 'Biratnagar' is not just a city, but also a political school. However, the election results of March 5 have ruthlessly sidelined that historical legacy of Biratnagar. The huge defeat of 42,663 votes suffered by the influential leader of Nepali Congress, Dr Shekhar Koirala, in Morang Constituency 6 is not just an electoral defeat, it is also the end of traditional politics that has been carried out under the banner of the 'Koirala' brand.
While Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Rubina Acharya registered a resounding victory by getting 55,513 votes, Dr Koirala was limited to only 12,850 votes, indicating that the basic organization of Nepali Congress has collapsed.
Legay vs rebellion
This result is unforgettable for the Koirala family, which laid the foundation for the revolution of 2007. At the 14th general convention, Dr Koirala waged a revolt within the party. However, his 'double-edged character' at the special general convention cost him the trust of both voters and his own cadres.
On the other hand, the situation of CPN-UML candidate Binod Dhakal became even more miserable. Dhakal, who obtained only 8,317 votes, filed to even save his deposit.
On the one hand, there was the historical legacy of the Koirala family, and on the other, the strong wave of RSP. Dhakal seemed to have failed to create his 'space' between these two poles. When voters were in the mood to choose either the old establishment (Congress) or complete change (RSP), second-tier leaders of traditional parties like Dhakal were not given priority.
A section within UML may be dissatisfied with the party giving tickets to candidates who get opportunities repeatedly but fail to produce results. Due to split within Morang UML and weaknesses in candidate management, he could not get the full support of his own organization, which directly benefited Rubina Acharya.
Similar storm in Morang 4
The aftershocks of Morang-6 were equally powerful in Constituency 4. In this constituency, which was once dominated by Mahesh Acharya and later 'captured' by Maoist Amanlal Modi, Santosh Rajbanshi of RSP reversed the equations by getting 40,833 votes.
For the newly elected General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire, who rebelled within the party and gave the slogan of 'True Congress', his own home district proved to be miserable. Ghimire, who carried the agenda of transformation, got only 12,818 votes. Ghimire's result has shown the result of breaking the relationship with the voters at the local level despite being in a powerful position in the party.
Fall of Amanlal and UML's loss of security deposit
another interesting aspect is that Maoist leader Amanlal Modi, who has been winning consistently, shrank to 10,672 votes and came in third place. Modi, who had been winning elections with the help of caste politics, was rejected by the voters this time. Even the bail of UML's Jivan Ghimire, who was also a former minister of the province, was forfeited.
The results of these two constituencies in Morang have raised some serious questions.
1. The end of legacy: It has been confirmed that voters no longer vote in the name of 'Koirala' or 'heritage' alone.
2. The search for good governance: Conscious voters of Biratnagar have chosen 'delivery' and a new face instead of the old parties mired in factionalism and internal strife.
3. Organizational crisis: The fact that active members of Congress and UML did not vote for their candidates has exposed how hollow the party's organizational structure has become.
According to the Returning Officer's Office, in Morang 6, only Dr Shekhar Koirala managed to secure his bail, while in Morang 4, Gururaj Ghimire and Amanlal Modi barely secured their bail.
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