Nepal is going to elections on Monday (November 20) with political parties scrambling to beat each other on the plank of ultra-nationalism. The contest will be chiefly fought between moderately centrist Nepali Congress-led alliance and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist, UML)-led alliance. The ruling coalition led by the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress party is expected to win, according to reports from Kathmandu-based think tanks.
Others in the contest include Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the Madhesi parties based in the Terai region along open border with India.
About 18 million people are eligible to vote for the 275-member parliament, as well as the 550 members of seven provincial assemblies through a mix of first past the post and the proportional representation system.
Frontrunners
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the leader of Nepali Congress party, has forged an alliance with the Maoist Centre party, the main group of former Maoist insurgents. Deuba, 76, is seeking to return to power for the sixth time. His Nepali Congress party is considered to be closest to India.
The Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist, UML), led by 70-year-old K P Sharma Oli, is the chief opponent seeking to oust PM Deuba in these elections. Oli, known for his pro-Beijing stance and controversial comments against India during previous terms, is the favourite for prime minister if his alliance manages to outperform the current favourite Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The Maoist Centre party led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal or ‘Prachanda’, could emerge as a kingmaker in case of inconclusive elections, reports say.
Why Nepal elections are crucial?
As a country geographically sandwiched between China and India, the elections in Nepal remain crucial for the two Asian rivals. Both India and China have strategic and economic interests in Nepal.
Nepal has signed up for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It expects a link between capital Kathmandu and Lhasa in disputed Tibet region administered by China. Neighbouring India boasts a relation consisting of ‘bread and daughter’ with Nepal, as people across the open border share marital ties since long.
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