Oli returns to Jhapa, prepares for election comeback
Oli was warmly welcomed by local leaders and party workers upon his arrival at Bhadrapur Airport.
KATHMANDU: CPN (UML) Chair KP Sharma Oli, who had been largely confined to the Kathmandu Valley, visited his home district Jhapa on Monday for the first time since the Gen Z youth movement prompted a travel ban.
Oli was warmly welcomed by local leaders and party workers upon his arrival at Bhadrapur Airport.
From the airport, he headed straight to Damak, where he began meeting with party activists and discussing election strategies.
The travel restriction had been imposed after violent incidents during the youth-led Gen Z movement in Bhadra of last year.
Following the lifting of the ban, Oli’s visit is widely seen as a signal of intensified election activity.
Oli is expected to file his candidacy for the House of Representatives from Jhapa-5 ahead of the March 5 elections and guide local party workers.
The UML had already endorsed him as its consensus candidate in the constituency, considered a traditional stronghold of Oli.
This time, however, he faces competition from Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and other contenders.
Political analysts view the visit as a symbolic comeback for Oli ahead of the polls.
