By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS,
Kathmandu : While most of his family members and trusted allies were axed by Nepal’s first national elections in almost a decade, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala scraped through in a manoeuvre that is likely to widen the rift in his disenchanted party.
Although the octogenarian politician’s hope of perpetuating a dynasty was rudely shattered by the defeat of his debutante daughter Sujata and the humbling of his cousin Sushil Koirala, the clan managed to keep a toehold in power politics. Koirala himself made it to the 601-member constituent assembly, thanks to the mixed election system.
Koirala’s Nepali Congress (NC) party faced a mortifying rout in the direct fights for 240 seats, winning only 37 seats. However, the proportional representation (PR) system gave it an additional 73 seats.
Although Koirala did not take part in the direct fights and stayed away from active campaigning due to failing health, he was nominated by the party along with 72 others.
On Friday evening, the Election Commission announced the names of the 335 representatives nominated by their parties under the PR system.
The NC list has triggered a severe heartburn among party members, who are holding its top leaders responsible for the defeat.
About 60 percent of the 73 new entrants are from the Koirala camp despite allegations of nepotism and failed leadership against the premier.
The remaining are from the faction loyal to Koirala’s former protégé, deposed prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Koirala and Deuba fell out in 2002 when the latter was expelled from the party by his former mentor. In retaliation, Deuba split the party and formed his Nepali Congress (Democratic) party.
Although the two factions united before the election and became the largest party in parliament, it failed to capitalise on it in the electoral battle.
Although Koirala’s men floundered in the April 10 election, Deuba’s followers fared better. Deuba won convincingly from both the constituencies he contested from.
The public verdict went against aging leaders and non-performers.
Bowing to that, the other ruling party that flopped, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), quit the government and began to look for a new leader after its chief Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned, owing responsibility for the poll debacle.
The UML, which won only 33 seats in the direct frays, learnt a lesson. While submitting the names of the winners for the 70 seats it acquired under the PR system, it axed its top leaders.
The acting chief of the party, Amrit Kumar Bohra, and foreign affairs minister Sahana Pradhan were dropped, the focus shifting to younger leaders.
Non-political and unusual players made it to the assembly, for the first time in Nepal’s history.
Deuba’s wife, social activist Arjoo Deuba, was nominated by the NC while the UML chose legal activist Sapana Malla Pradhan, known for her campaign against laws discriminating against women and children.
The Maoists chose a Buddhist monk, Bhikshu Anand, while the Communist Party of Nepal-United, created ripples by giving Nepal its first gay lawmaker, activist Sunil Babu Pant, and also nominating a person with hearing disability as well as the first woman barber of Nepal.
The PR system also saw the entry of Nepal’s business community into politics. At least five captains of the industry made it to the assembly under the aegis of the NC, UML and Terai party Madhesi Janadhikar Forum.
Although the first two phases of elections are over, two more still remain.
With some of the leaders contesting from two places – like Deuba and Maoist chief Prachanda – and winning in both, they have to vacate one constituency where a fresh process would start to choose a new winner.
While the elections were for 575 seats, the parties now have to nominate 26 representatives more.
Initially, it was regarded as the prerogative of the prime minister.
However, with the public mandate going against him, the Maoists are likely to claim a dominant role in the nominations.