Kathmandu, March 6: Former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, has emerged victorious in the House of Representatives elections, solidifying his position as one of the top leaders of traditional political parties in Nepal. He was elected from Rukum East-1, securing a significant win with 10,240 votes. His closest rival, Leelamani Gautam from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), received 3,462 votes.
According to the Election Commission of Nepal, Prachanda was the coordinator of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), formed after the merger of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist), which won the elections. In contrast, other traditional political parties, including Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, performed poorly in the elections.
Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa trailed behind independent candidates Balendra Shah and Amresh Kumar Singh. Notably, Prachanda won from a stronghold of former Maoist rebels.
Critics have accused him of abandoning Gorkha-2, the constituency from which he was elected in the 2022 elections, allegedly out of fear of losing the seat, opting instead for the safer Rukum East-1.
Prachanda entered mainstream politics following a comprehensive peace agreement that ended the armed conflict in 2006. He was first elected in the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections from Kathmandu-10 and Rolpa-2. He later won from Siraha-5 in the second Constituent Assembly elections in 2013 and from Chitwan-3 in the first parliamentary elections held after the new constitution was implemented in 2017. In 2022, he was elected from Gorkha-2.
Prachanda has remained a central figure in national Politics, particularly during the armed conflict from 1996 to 2006. Even as his party’s strength has waned since the 2008 elections, he has continued to be an unavoidable personality in national politics, serving as Prime Minister multiple times with support from either Nepali Congress or CPN-UML.