Former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and ex-Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balen Shah, are set to compete in the Jhapa–5 constituency in eastern Nepal for the upcoming parliamentary elections on March 5. Oli, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) Chairperson and Prime Ministerial candidate, faces Shah, nominated by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), intensifying the race for premiership. The constituency, historically Oli’s stronghold, will witness a clash as Shah, popular among the youth, challenges Oli’s experienced leadership narrative.
Two former House of Representatives office-bearers, ex-Speaker Devraj Ghimire and ex-Deputy Speaker Indira Rana, will also compete in Jhapa Constituency–2. Ghimire represents CPN (UML) while Rana stands for RSP, adding further intrigue to the electoral landscape alongside the Oli-Shah showdown. Gagan Kumar Thapa, the newly elected Nepali Congress President, will contest from Sarlahi–4 against former NC lawmaker Amresh Kumar Singh, who is running under the RSP banner, marking a shift for Thapa from Kathmandu to the Madhesh region this time.
In other key contests, former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is entering the race from Rukum East Constituency No. 1, while his party’s co-coordinator and ex-PM Madhav Kumar Nepal is contesting from Rautahat Constituency No. 1. Additionally, former PM Baburam Bhattarai, of the Progressive Democratic Party, is vying for Gorkha Constituency No. 2, and RSP President Rabi Lamichhane is seeking election from Chitwan–2, where he previously won in 2022.
