Jhapa Constituency No. 4 has always been known as a 'low-profile' constituency in the district, with less attention paid to it than other constituencies. Here, the faces of the candidates repeat themselves in every election.

This time, the scene is a little different. Even if the candidate does not change, the voters' minds are likely to change this time. The changing mood of the voters is silently but profoundly making the Jhapa-4 election decisive.

UML's Lal Prasad (LP) Sanwa Limbu has already won the 2074 and 2079 elections from Jhapa-4. Will he complete a hat-trick of victories this time or will some other candidate start a new chapter? The voters will decide this soon.

UML has won four times since 2048 in this area, which is considered the 'Red Fort' of UML. Although Chakra Prasad Bastola in 2051 and Dharamshila Chapagain of the Maoists in 2064 broke the UML's undefeated journey, the UML has been continuously winning since then.

But the electoral situation this time seems to be somewhat different from the previous elections. The process of selecting candidates in particular had created a stir within the UML for some time. The list of candidates made public last Saturday did not include LP Sanwa Limbu from Jhapa-4. Instead, the name of young leader Manoj Tamli was included. Tamli had already started preparing for the election as soon as the candidate was announced by the center and had even started asking for votes from voters.

However, two days before the nomination registration, on 4 Magh, the UML reversed its decision and clarified that it had given the ticket to LP Sanwa Limbu for the third time and that Sanwa was the 'official candidate' for Jhapa-4. Local activists say that there was unease within the UML for some time after this incident. Tamli and Sanwa supporters had expressed internal dissatisfaction, claiming that their respective candidates should get the ticket, which had also raised concerns that it could affect the election.

However, UML workers claim that the party's election activities have returned to normal after Sanwa got the ticket again. According to them, the party has now entered the election fray unitedly, managing internal differences.

UML leader and Koshi Provincial Assembly member Radhakrishna Khatiwada claimed that there is no problem within the party and expressed confidence that UML will win a hat-trick this time too. 'There is no problem, we are united,' Khatiwada said, 'We have moved forward with the goal of securing victory.'

This is the third consecutive contest between the eternal rivals

LP Sanwa Limbu and Congress Jhapa President Deuman Thebe. Thebe was defeated in the 2074 election. The same scene was repeated in the 2079 election. While Sanwa got 29,315 votes, Thebe got 22,448 votes. Shambhu Dhakal of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) came third with 14,049 votes. As the election season begins in the villages of Jhapa-4, these familiar rivals have re-entered the electoral fray, claiming their respective victories. This time, there is a possibility of a three-way clash.

LP Sanwa supporters consider him a ‘leader who understands local issues’. ‘His reaching parliament for the third time is also an opportunity to complete unfinished plans,’ said local voter Harka Bahadur Yongya, ‘The initiatives he has started in the road, irrigation, education and health sectors need continuity.’ However, according to his opponents, repeating a person does not mean repeating his work.

Theve is not an unfamiliar leader to Jhapa-4. Having suffered defeats twice, he seems to be in a mood to ‘settle the score’ this time. According to Congress supporters, Thebe did not lose touch with the voters even when the party was weak in the past. A Congress worker from that area says, ‘This election is not for Deuman Thebe, it is a question of existence for the Congress as well.’ However, Thebe also faces no less of a challenge. The mood of the old defeat and the internal equations within the Congress have made his journey difficult.