For the last few years, the existence of the Maoist center has been repeatedly questioned. The continuous division within the party, organizational weakness, poor relations with the people and accusations of not being able to do effective work while in government raised doubts about the political future of the Maoists.

Some even concluded that the era of Maoists is over. However, the results of the recently concluded by-elections and the Swaviyu elections have proved that speculation to be wrong.

The Maoist Center performed well in the by-elections held a few months ago. It was seen that the party was able to establish itself strongly in various fields. These results proved that the Maoists were still competitive.

Likewise, in the recently concluded Swaviyu elections, the Maoist-affiliated Akhil (Revolutionary) has shown an impressive performance. Showing a strong presence in campuses across the country, the organization has registered victory in 81 campuses. This result is also a sign that the Maoist hold on student politics is still intact.

In the last few years, the influence of the revolutionaries has been declining, but this time's victory has signaled the revival of the organization.

There are certain reasons behind the good results of the Maoist Center in the by-elections and its sister organization in the Swaviyu elections. The effort to strengthen the organizational structure is the first reason, while the strategy of re-establishing relations with the people and the weakness of the competing parties and the skill of playing on each other are also the reasons for the victory of the revolutionaries.

However, these successes are not the only crisis relief for the party. There is widespread complaint among the people that the Maoists have been in power for a long time and have not been able to bring about effective changes. These successes have given enthusiasm to the organization but the main challenge now is to make the organization strong permanently.

The results of the recent by-elections and student elections have given a concrete answer to those who thought that the era of Maoists is over. But electoral success alone is not enough. Only if the Maoists regain their old revolutionary character and win the confidence of the people can this revival become permanent. Otherwise these results are sure to prove temporary.

– Santosh Simkhada , Tokyo, Japan