While visiting Jhapa for the first time on Monday after the lifting of the curfew, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli's first comment focused on security issues.

Oli, who landed in Chandragadhi via Yeti Airlines, gave a brief response to journalists, saying, ‘Election security is still not satisfactory.’

After reaching Damak from the airport, he repeated the same issue at a press conference organized by Press Chautari Nepal, ‘How can the election be held when even the Chief Justice is being threatened?’ He had also expressed his interest in election security at a meeting in Kathmandu on Poush 10.

It is not just a coincidence that he has been continuously making security-related comments. Security sources and analysts understand that the election atmosphere in Jhapa-5 has heated up, the entry of new competitors has changed the equation, and the psychology after the movement has made top leaders more cautious.

Jhapa-5 is Oli’s traditional constituency. In this area, where the influence of UML has been almost undeniable for almost 30 years, this time the debate against the government and the attraction towards the new leadership are rising in parallel.
Local voters say that the situation has changed after former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and senior leader of the National Independent Party Balendra Sah contested from this constituency. Local voters say, ‘The interest of the younger generation towards Balendra is intense. The debate on generational change has been raised openly against the old leadership and the atmosphere within the UML is not as comfortable as before.’

In this situation, Oli’s repeated raising of security issues has also been interpreted as a political signal. Ramesh Chamlagai, a voter from Damak, speculates, ‘The increase in security discussions in Oli’s speeches may also be the reason for the unexpected challenge in Jhapa-5.’

During the Genji movement, top leaders of the UML, Congress and Maoists faced widespread resistance on the streets. At that time, a curfew was issued on Oli, preventing him from leaving the valley. The investigation commission reached Oli's residence in Gundu and recorded his statement, and the venue was lifted on December 21. 

Political analyst Chandra Kishore says, 'After the Genezi movement, there has been a kind of deep psychological pressure on the leaders of the old parties. They are now understanding criticism, resistance and challenges more sensitively than before.'

The crowd and welcome that came on the day Oli arrived in Jhapa were the same as before, but the change in local sentiment after the movement seems to have made him more cautious about security issues. A leader close to Oli said, 'He now looks at the crowd and the election competition differently than before. He can see that the atmosphere after the movement is not completely peaceful.'

There was also a serious discussion about election security at the Koshi province-level security seminar held on December 16. A security officer who participated at that time said, 'There are signs that the election competition this time will be between the old and the new.'