UCPN (Maoist) ‘gains ground’ in Madhes

KATHMANDU, AUG 22 -
An internal assessment made by the UCPN (Maoist) has shown that the party’s position has strengthened relatively in the Madhes and the Kathmandu valley, while it has relatively weakened in the hill regions.

The party’s preliminary election evaluation shows that it will win 10-15 more seats in the Madhes under the Fast- Post- the- Past (FPTP) category, while it is likely to lose the same number of seats in the hills, according to leaders.  In the 2008 Constituent Assembly election, the UCPN (Maoist) won 34 of the 116 seats in the Madhes in the FPTP system. Leaders claim that the party’s consistent position on federalism contributed to its position strengthening in the Tarai region.

“In the 2008 election, people in the southern belt projected us as an anti-Madhes force, but now they have realised that the Maoists can address their concerns over federalism,” a leader told the Post.

Further, the party has managed to sort out the longstanding organisational disputes in the Madhes, which had been plaguing the party for long. Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal himself sorted out several state and district-level disputes. The influx of Madhesi leaders from other parties into the UCPN (Maoist) also played a crucial role in the party’s good show in the Madhes.

However, dissatisfaction among some Madhesi Maoist leaders remains as, according to them, the party gave Ram Chandra Jha ‘more space.’ Jha recently defected from the CPN-UML and joined the UCPN (Maoist) .

“With Jha’s entry, the party’s position got a boost in Bhojpura and Mithila,” said the party’s Madhes in-charge, Haribol Gajurel.

Dahal is out on a tour of the southern region. On Tuesday, he held an interaction with Madhesi people, while he has already announced that he will contest the upcoming election from the Madhes. “I need the Madhesi people’s backing to draft a federal constitution that fulfills their aspirations,” Dahal said in Janakpur.

With a view to strengthening its base in the region further, the party is holding consultations with Madhesi intellectuals.

The latest census shows that around 50 percent of the country’s total population lives in the Madhes. “The strengthening of the UCPN (Maoist) ’s position in the Madhes means it will win more seats in the upcoming election,” said advocate Dipendra Jha, who closely follows Madhes politics.

Leaders, however, said the party’s position in the hilly region has weakened after Mohan Baidya left the UCPN (Maoist) last year and formed a separate party, CPN-Maoist.

Leaders sent to assess the situation in the hill region have reported to the party headquarters that the split has adversely affected its hold in the hill region. Further, cadres in the hill districts are ruing the ‘communication gap’ after the 2008 election. To strengthen the party’s hold in the region, the UCPN (Maoist) is desperately trying to forge an election alliance with the Federal Socialist Party Nepal (FSPN).

“The CPN-Maoist’s main mission will be to defeat us in the election. So, they will create obstacles for us in the hill region,” said Gajurel.

In the Kathmandu valley, leaders said the party will secure more seats this time in the three districts of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. The leaders claimed that a significant number of the ‘middle class’ people in the Valley are supporting the party. The UCPN (Maoist) had won in seven of the 15 constituencies in the Valley in 2008.

The party is scheduled to hold its Central Committee meeting next week to prepare a strategy for the November 19 polls.

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