Bhusal, Bishwakarma in tough battle

From govinda regmi/chhabilal pandey 

Rupandehi, Nov. 8: Until a month ago, Ghanashyam Bhusal and Chhabilal Bishwakarma were the pillars of CPN-UML. Like two 'strikers' ready to score goals from the same team on the football field, they are contesting for the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) election. 

In the 10th convention of UML, Chhabilal was elected unopposed as Secretary. Bhusal was defeated as vice president. Although defeated, Bhusal reached the standing committee. It was another coincidence that both became Politburo members as they were elected as central members at the eighth convention of UML in Butwal in 2065 B.S. 

However, after 8 October, the identity of Bhusal and Chhabilal has been changed. Colleagues from the same party before are now seen in the election field as players of the opposition team. 

These two strikers need to handle the front line and the defense line alone in the HoR election to be held on November 20. 

The CPN-UML party did not provide election ticket to Bhusal in the House of Representatives election and made Chhabilal a candidate in Rupandehi 1, which Bhusal had hoped for.

After UML adopted a policy of not giving tickets to party leaders who opposed the dissolution of parliament, there came a wave in the party. Bhusal, who created the image of an ideological leader within the UML, announced that he had left the party immediately on 8 October. 

Bhusal, who rebelled against the party after not getting ticket from UML, has run as an independent candidate in Rupandehi 1. Bhusal has been supported by the five-party alliance of Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist). On the other hand, Chhabilal of UML is supported by Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

After these two leaders, who have been in the same party for a long time, faced each other in the HoR elections, the election atmosphere here has become more interesting. 

Both the leaders have engaged in election campaign actively with door-to-door programme to impress the voters. 

Until recently, they had been campaigning for communists, but now they are criticizing each other from the opposite platform during the election campaign.

Bhusal has been strongly opposing the UML party and president KP Sharma Oli while addressing the voters at the door-to-door programme. On the other hand, Chhabilal has also visited door-to-door calling Bhusal an opportunist.

These two leaders have claimed that their victory in the election is assured. Bhusal accused Oli and UML, who support autocracy, of not having the capacity to win the election. Bhusal has also released his election commitment letter only on Monday. 

Both these candidates are not new in the HoR election. Bhusal was a candidate for Rupandehi 3 from UML in the previous HoR election. 

At that time, he defeated Deepak Bohora of RPP by 5,444 votes. Bhusal got 32,866 votes and Bohora got 27,422 votes.

Bohora, who was defeated at that time, is now contesting the elections with Bal Krishna Khand, a Congress leader, from Rupandehi 3 with the support of UML.

Chhabilal had won from Rupandehi 1 in the previous HoR election. At that time, Abdul Razzak of Nepali Congress, who was defeated by 

Chhabilal, is now contesting the elections from Rupandehi 1 Provincial Assembly (B) with the support of the alliance.

Vishwanath Yadav of Nepali Congress is contesting for Provincial Assembly (A) under Rupandehi 1. Similarly, Ashish Chaudhary of RPP and UML's Dadhiram Neupane are in the field from UML in Provincial Assembly. 

Locals said that the independent candidacy of Bhusal has made it difficult to predict the election results of Rupandehi 1.

"UML had strong influence in this area earlier. Dissatisfaction within the party has seen deviation not only in the leader but also among the voters. It is impossible to say where the confused voters will cast their votes," said Yamlal Bhusal, a senior journalist. 

The result may also be different due to the contradictions seen in the city committees due to the distribution of local election tickets. We need to wait for November 20 to know who will win the election bet between the former colleagues.