Old rivals return to fray in Sunsari–3

By Jay Krishna Yadav,Inaruwa, Jan. 27: With the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5, Sunsari Constituency No. 3 is shaping up to be a contest between established political forces and emerging parties. The main competition is expected to be between veteran Nepali Congress leader Bijay Kumar Gachhachhadar, CPN-UML’s Bhagwati Chaudhary, and Ashok Kumar Chaudhary of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP). As a result, the constituency is drawing significant attention from observers beyond the district.

Local voters say the election in Constituency 3 will essentially be a battle between old, mainstream parties and new political forces.

The CPN-UML, which secured victory in the last election by defeating senior Congress leader and former minister Gachhachhadar, made history in the 2022 election. Once again, the constituency has become a battleground where leading figures from traditional parties face candidates from newly formed parties. “With top leaders of established parties and candidates from new parties contesting here, the competition is bound to be tough,” said Surendra Yadav, a voter from Garhi-5.

Gachhachhadar, who has served in several ministries over three decades, including as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, has entered the race seeking to reclaim his political legacy and avenge his defeat in the previous election. Bhagwati Chaudhary, who served for a few months as Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens and as a State Minister, is aiming to retain her seat and continue the momentum from his last victory.

Meanwhile, RSP candidate Ashok Kumar Chaudhary has joined the race positioning himself as a proponent of change, appealing particularly to voters influenced by recent reform-oriented movements.

A total of 20 candidates are contesting in Sunsari Constituency No. 3. They include Nepali Congress leader Bijay Kumar Gachhachhadar; CPN-UML’s Bhagwati Chaudhary; RSP’s Ashok Kumar Chaudhary; Nepali Communist Party’s Durgesh Chaudhary; JSP Nepal’s Badri Prasad Yadav; Aam Janata Party’s Rohan Sah; Nepal Majdoor and Kisan Party’s Prakriti Basi; Samabesi Samajwadi Party’s Kishore Kumar Bishwash; CPN (Maoist)’s Ashutosh Dhugel; Shram Sanskriti Party’s Ram Prasad Sah; and Sarvabhaum Nagarik Party’s Krishna Kumar Chaudhary. Four independent candidates including Chitnarayan Chaudhary, Kumari Urao, Suman Kumari Chaudhary and Kasani Tharuni are also in the race, according to Election Officer Padam Bahadur Karki.

Gachhachhadar and Chaudhary have been long-time rivals in this constituency, often alternating victories. As such, the current election is being viewed as particularly significant. 

This election marks Gachhachhadar’s eighth contest from the same constituency since the restoration of democracy. He won elections from Sunsari in 1991, 1994, 1999, 2008, 2013 and 2017. Initially, he elected as a Nepali Congress candidate in 1991, 1994 and 1999 from Sunsari Constituency No. 2, the area now largely falls under Constituency No. 3. 

Following the Madhes movement, Gachhachhadar won the 2008 Constituent Assembly election as a candidate of the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum. Prior to the 2013 election, he split the party and formed the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (Democratic), securing another victory. He later returned to the Nepali Congress and won the 2017 election. Despite his long political career, serving as a minister 18 times and Deputy Prime Minister five times, he was defeated by UML’s Bhagwati Chaudhary in the 2022 election.

In that election, Chaudhary secured 40,788 votes in Constituency No. 3, while Gachhachhadar finished second with 35,600 votes.