Myagdi election heats up with Mahabir Pun in the race

KATHMANDU: With the House of Representatives election approaching, Himalayan district Myagdi, which has only one parliamentary constituency, is witnessing an intense contest among major political parties and independent candidates.

Karnabahadur Bhandari (KB) of the Nepali Congress, Harikrishna Shrestha of the CPN-UML, Arjun Thapa of the CPN, and independent candidate Dr Mahabir Pun have emerged as the main contenders.

Dr Pun, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, resigned from his post as Minister for Education, Science and Technology in the interim government on the day of nomination filing and returned to his ancestral home to contest the election. His candidacy has created significant political momentum in the district.

According to Dhananjay Kumar Shrestha of Beni, changing national political dynamics, the rise of new political forces, the influence of competing candidates, and the strategies adopted by political parties and candidates have increased public interest in Myagdi’s election outcome.

“Previously, Myagdi’s election used to remain overshadowed at the national level. This time, Mahabir Pun’s candidacy has brought it into national discussion,” Shrestha said. “The combination of party organizational strength and the influence of an independent candidate has made the contest highly interesting.”

The CPN (Maoist) led by Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’ has fielded Kshetra Bahadur Ghimire, a former president of the Myagdi Multiple Campus Free Students’ Union who remained underground during the conflict period.

Other candidates include Dammar Bahadur Subedi of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Devendra Kami of the Progressive Democratic Party, Binod Rana of the Labour Culture Party, Chhem Bahadur Bishwakarma of the Rastriya Janamorcha, Bhim Bahadur Lama of the Mongol National Organization, and Tul Prasad Garbuja of National Republican Nepal.

Although Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Yuvraj Roka has publicly announced support for independent candidate Pun, his own candidacy remains in place.

Among the contenders, UML’s Harikrishna Shrestha is contesting for the second time, while all others are first-time parliamentary candidates.

After 2074 BS, this election marks a return to direct competition without electoral alliances. In the 2079 BS House of Representatives election, Nepali Congress candidate Khamb Bahadur Garbuja (Khambir) won under an alliance of Nepali Congress, Maoist Centre, and CPN (Unified Socialist). Maoist candidates Hari Bhandari and Resham Jugjali (Suvin) were elected to Province Assembly constituencies 1 (1) and 1 (2) respectively.

In the 2074 BS election, UML’s Bhupendra Thapa won the House seat under the then left alliance, while Binod KC (Maoist) and Nardevi Pun (UML) were elected to the provincial assemblies. Earlier, Navaraj Sharma, now Gandaki Province chair of UML, won in the 2070 BS second Constituent Assembly election. Maoist candidate Govinda Paudel won in 2064 BS, while Narayan Singh Pun of Nepali Congress won the 2056 BS parliamentary election, preceded by Nil Pun of UML.

In the 2079 BS election, UML secured 18,273 votes, Nepali Congress 13,693, Maoist Centre 9,070, RSP 3,579, RPP 1,253, and Unified Socialist 285 votes. Supported by Maoist, Unified Socialist, and Janamorcha, Congress candidate Garbuja won with 24,021 votes, defeating UML’s Shrestha, who obtained 20,189 votes.

Myagdi district has 86,397 voters, 82 polling stations, and 120 polling centres, according to District Election Officer Bimal Prasad Gautam.

Candidates are actively engaged in voter interactions, meetings, and door-to-door campaigns. Political activities have increased vibrancy across rural areas.

Local residents say they will decide after listening to all candidates. Karnabahadur Thapa of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality–7, Dharapani, said voters welcome all candidates and assess their plans before deciding. Similarly, Khagbir Paija of Annapurna Rural Municipality–7, Dosalle, said voters are carefully evaluating candidates’ visions.

Candidates have pledged to ensure effective implementation of Himalayan district provisions, make public services technology-friendly, strengthen good governance, eliminate delays, and reflect local needs and aspirations in laws, budgets, and development plans.