After Deuba, who had been at the center of Congress and power for 34 years, signaled that he would take a break from active politics, there was a tug-of-war among Congress leaders from the Far West, NP Saud, Ramesh Lekhak, Bir Bahadur Balayar, Dilendra Prasad Badu, Badri Prasad Pandey, and Nainsingh Mahar, over who would become 'Deuba's successor'.
What you should know
"Who will be Sher Bahadur Deuba's successor in the Far West?" This was the topic of discussion among party workers in the Far West three months ago, when the internal politics of the Nepali Congress were normal. When President Deuba had indicated that he would take a break from active politics by appointing Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka as acting president.
After Deuba, who had been at the center of Congress and power for 34 years, indicated that he would take a break from active politics, a tug-of-war began between Congress leaders from the Far West, NP Saud, Ramesh Lekhak, Bir Bahadur Balayar, Dilendra Prasad Badu, Badri Prasad Pandey and Nainsingh Mahar, to become 'Deuba's successor'. The Congress workers shared the common understanding that the leader who could earn 'Deuba's blessings and trust' would reach the leadership level from the Far West.
Saud, Lekhak, Mahar and Balayar are strong supporters of Deuba. Pandey, who was the joint general secretary, and central member Badu were non-partisan. That is why everyone understood that Deuba could make one of Saud, Lekhak and Balayar the 'successor' for the Far West.
Most within the Congress believed that Saud Deuba, who had a background as the president of the Nepali Congress and was considered to have a wider network of cadres than other leaders, would be the choice.
But within a span of three months, the internal politics of the Congress took such a turn that Deuba, who was the supreme leader in the party, was pushed into a political crisis. The legitimate demand to organize a special general convention by the general convention delegates and the special general convention attended by the majority of delegates were ignored on the grounds that it was not in accordance with the statute, ultimately leading to the loss of not only Deuba's presidency, but also his political influence and existence.
Deuba, who was unanimously elected president of the Nepali Congress fraternal organization in 2028, continued to advance in politics in the following years. After becoming the Home Minister in 2048, he remained an evergreen player in power. He became Prime Minister five times and an MP seven times. In the 2048 election, the Congress won 18 out of 19 seats in the Far West under the leadership of Deuba. Similarly, during the Maoist uprising in 2064, Deuba won Dadeldhura and Kanchanpur, and Devraj Joshi of Bajura won.
For Deuba, who made Dadeldhura in his home district Sudurpaschim the base of parliamentary politics, his district always flourished. As many times as he contested elections, Dadeldhura won as many times. Having contested elections seven times, he never suffered defeat. There was no one else to challenge him, who automatically became the leader in the Far West.
He remained universally respected in the Congress Sudurpaschim and the politics of the Congress Sudurpaschim remained under his umbrella. The leaders he wanted to promote got opportunities, while those he did not like were crushed. Although Deuba indicated that he would take a break from active politics, he recommended a single name from the district, saying that he would contest the next election for the last time. The then General Secretary Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma, however, were adamant from the beginning that Deuba should not contest the upcoming elections.
During the special general convention, there was a serious disagreement between the two parties on whether he would be a candidate or not. During the election, the political future of Deuba, as well as his core supporters Lekhak, Saud and Balayer, is in doubt. Both Shekhar Koirala-affiliated leaders Pandey and Badu, who are opposed to the special general convention, have already announced that they will not be candidates in the upcoming elections.
‘Without Deuba, the political respect, access and opportunities that Sudurpaschim will receive will be like the sky and the earth,’ says the then central member Nrip Bahadur Badu, a Deuba supporter. ‘If the current situation continues, the position of the Congress may collapse even in the election results. The enthusiasm and guardianship that Congress workers had when Deuba was in the field will not be there.'
According to Devraj Joshi, the former provincial chief of Sudurpaschim, who is a supporter of Deuba, the access that the people of Sudurpaschim had when Deuba was in the leadership, the ease of raising problems, the priority given to Sudurpaschim in development, appointments, and promotions, will now be deprived of that opportunity. 'After Deuba, Bhim Rawal is in the leading position of national politics in Sudurpaschim. But Rawal's political future and access are uncertain.
'It seems that Sudurpaschim will fall further behind now,' says Joshi, 'When Deuba was in the field, he was the candidate for Prime Minister, his impact and expectations would have been different. But now, the election results of the Congress are sure to be very different.'
Joshi says that he agrees that no leader is invincible and that leadership changes continue in political parties. "Leadership should be relaxed naturally. Deuba's exit is unnatural now, which is why the situation seems to be different," he said.
The understanding of the leaders in favor of the special general convention is different. There are also many critics who believe that the development of the Far West has not turned around even though Deuba has been the Prime Minister five times. "What are the projects that Deuba has implemented to turn the corner in the development of the Far West?" a Congress worker sharply attacked. Leaders and activists in favor of the special general convention and those not affiliated with Deuba argue that there will be some difference in the Congress politics of the Far West for the time being with or without Deuba.
Central member Bharat Khadka, who was elected from the special general convention, says, ‘We will not be disturbed in any situation, Deuba is still a respected and respected leader of all of us, there is no obstacle to him contesting the election if he wishes,’ Khadka said, ‘Even if he himself withdraws now, we will not let it affect the momentum of the Congress in the slightest.’
Former Dadeldhura Congress treasurer Gunakar Chataut says, ‘The investment and contribution made by Sher Bahadur Deuba in the party cannot be addressed in words, he has made a great contribution to democracy, democracy and the Congress.’
Gangadat Upreti, former campus chief of Dadeldhura Multiple Campus, says that it is not always the case that one person will be in leadership. "Naturally, he should have left the leadership sooner or later, considering his age," he said, "but at this age, he was insulted. People from the Far West are also straightforward. He was personally and family-wise affected by the Gen-G movement." Stating that shortcomings are inherent in everyone due to human nature, he said that Deuba's role in institutional democracy was important.
Congress Joint General Secretary of the Far West Province, Ambika Chalaune, says, "When we from the Far West had to use the Indian route to go to Kathmandu, he is also a developmental leader who put an end to this situation. After entering national politics, 22 bridges were built at once, from the Karnali Chisapani bridge to the Far West, expanding the road network in the villages."
She understands that the entire Far West will have to wait hundreds of years for a powerful leader like Deuba. "He was not only responsible for development infrastructure, but also for looking after everyone in the Far West. He has easy access to the people of the Far West," she said. "Some of his things may be bad, but Deuba cannot be viewed separately from Nepali politics or the Congress Party."
She argues that if Deuba were to contest the election from Dadeldhura, one of the party's seats would be secured. "He has dedicated his life to building the Congress Party," she said. "According to the decision made by the Election Commission, it seems that he will step down from the leadership. What the court says tomorrow will come, we will know at that time."
