KP Oli of the opposition UML was on the campaign trail in Syangja last week where he directly urged security officials to monitor what he claimed was voting restriction by the Nepali Congress (NC).
“You are not soldiers of the coalition,” Oli told them.
Five days later, the former prime minister who has had a double kidney transplant was at a Kathmandu nightclub at midnight, launching a campaign rap song as youngsters cheered.
The UML has bought targeted advertising on YouTube for Nepali users about its manifesto backing sanitary pad allowances for female students.
In the cities the UML is trying to woo the youth and women voters away from popular independent candidates, while in the districts it confronts the ruling coalition.
Nepal’s political aspirants from across and beyond party lines have boots-on-the-ground to draw voters to the polls before campaigning has to stop at midnight on 17 November.
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The performance of independent candidates in major cities in May’s local elections not only encouraged young Nepalis to stand for Sunday’s parliamentary and provincial polls, but also forced mainstream parties to hold on to their bases while appealing to younger and first-time voters.
Less than 9% out of the total candidates during the local election ran as independents in May. Of the independent candidates, 385 (3%) were elected to office. They included seven mayors from four major cities, six rural municipality chairs, as well as two deputy mayors and deputy chairs each.
Similarly, 136 independent candidates were elected ward chairs and 117 ward members, while 60 female ward members and 55 Dalit women ward members assumed office.
One of these local units is Bardibas municipality of Mahottari, which elected mayor Pralad Kumar Chhetri, deputy mayor Tara Devi, as well as four ward chiefs — all independents.
But some constituencies where independents were elected into office in May have not capitalised on the momentum.
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In Okhaldhunga, where independent Gyanendra Rumdali was elected chair of the Manebhanjyang Rural Municipality, there are no independent candidates running for Parliament, and only one for the Provincial Assembly.
In Dolpa, where independents Karma Chhoibel Gurung and Pemba Wangchen Gurung were elected chair and vice chair of Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality and Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality — there is only one independent run for Parliament this time.
Manang, where independent Chhiring Gurung was elected chairperson of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality, has only one independent candidate in federal polls. In fact, Manang actually has more registered voters (6,779) than its population in the 2021 census (5,645) because of outmigration — a phenomenon in other mid-mountain districts as well.
