Rajendra Mahato and Mahendra Raya Yadav were once fellow travelers in the same party. Their collaboration did not last long. They have become bitter rivals after separating. They are contesting the second Constituent Assembly election of 2070 as rivals. Their old 'friendship' and current 'clash' are considered interesting.

Both of them will face each other in the election field by changing parties, constituencies and districts. This time in Sarlahi-2, Mahato and Yadav are also being challenged by the Congress, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and UML.

Mahato and Yadav are established faces in Madhesh politics. For them, elections are not limited to winning and losing. It has become a matter of political 'ego'. Since both of them have a grip on geography and community, it seems that the vote division will make the result unexpected. The competition between Mahato and Yadav is old and interesting in the electoral history of Sarlahi-2. The constituency has come into the news with the 'clash' between the two in the House of Representatives elections on Falgun 21.

Mahato is the chairman of the National Liberation Party (RAMUPA) Nepal. Yadav is a leader of the Nepali Communist Party. Earlier, Yadav had defeated Mahato. In Sarlahi-2, there has been competition between the Congress, Sadbhavana, UML and the then Maoists.

In the second Constituent Assembly election in 2070, Mahato and Yadav faced each other in Sarlahi-4. In the 2074 House of Representatives election, Mahato won as a candidate from Dhanusha-3. After his rival Mahato changed his constituency, Yadav changed parties. In 2074, Yadav joined the Rastriya Janata Party and won from Sarlahi-2. He received 29,191 votes. His closest rival, Jangilal Rai Yadav of the Congress, got 18 votes and 976 votes.

This time, Mahato said that he became a candidate from Sarlahi-2 as per the people's wishes. Mahato claims that the Madhesi Front forcibly changed his constituency and sent him to Dhanusha. Mahato defeated Bimalendra Nidhi of the Nepali Congress by a margin of 2,903 votes in Dhunsha. Mahato got 30,750 votes. Nidhi got 27,847 votes.

In Sarlahi-2, Yadav got 23,529 votes in 2079 while Mahato got 21,518 votes. Mahato has been in the fray continuously since 2048. In Sarlahi-2, Mahato lost to Meena Pandey of the Nepali Congress by a margin of 2,857 votes in 2048. Pandey got 10,684 votes while Mahato got 7,827 votes. In 2051, Pandey of the Nepali Congress defeated Mahato by a margin of 622 votes. Pandey got 10,795 votes while Mahato got 10,173 votes. RPP Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa was defeated by getting 9,723 votes.

Mahato changed constituencies in the first Constituent Assembly election of 2064. He became a candidate from Sarlahi-4 and won by getting 17,073 votes. His nearest competitor was Ram Chandra Raya of the then Tamalopa who got 8,752 votes. In 2079, Mahato, who had 'comebacked' from Sarlahi-2, was defeated by Yadav of the then CPN-Maoist. While Yadav got 23,529 votes, Mahato got 21,518 votes. UML's Rajnarayan Sah got 14,819 votes.

Silence in power, chaos on the streets
Mahato is among those who keep moving around in the leadership of various parties. When he is in power, he is silent and shouts slogans on the streets. Recently, the Tarai-centric parties have been joining and breaking up frequently. ‘Despite many efforts to unify the party, I could not,’ said Mahato. ‘Even though the name of the participating party has changed, the objective has not changed. That is why I have been running a separate party and campaigning.’ Mahato has recently formed the National Liberation Front and is running a campaign from Madhesh to the hills. Mahato was one of the most criticized leaders during the Madhesh movement.

He has been active in politics since the restoration of the multi-party system and has been controversial from time to time due to his statements. When the constitution was promulgated, Mahato and other leaders went to the Nepal-India border area to sit on a dharna. At that time, India had imposed an undeclared blockade, saying that a favorable constitution had not been promulgated. ‘I went to the border for the identity of Madhesh. The fight for identity continues,’ he said. ‘The Madhesh movement has not yet been successful. There is no good governance in the country. Corruption has increased.''

He has been leading the 'National Liberation Struggle' campaign for three and a half decades after leading the Madhesh movement. He said that he left and led the revolution after Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav and Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LOSP) Chairman Mahantha Thakur were not ready to carry out a national liberation revolution.

Locals say that area development is neglected
Mahato and Yadav have contested elections repeatedly, but their constituencies have lagged behind in development. The leaders, who have been ministers several times, claim to have brought a wave of development to the district. This time, Mahato said that he left Dhanusha under pressure from his friends in Sarlahi despite being recommended as members of the House of Representatives from Saptari-2 and Dhanusha-3.

If they come to seek votes this time, they will ask for an account of how many promises made in previous elections have been fulfilled or not, said Rambharose Sah from Salempur. ‘We demand a detailed account of the promises made by the leaders to create physical infrastructure including education, health, roads and other things in the district,’ he said. ‘The leaders have become a celebration to manipulate the elections, let’s see this time.’

Mahato was the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies during the interim government. After winning the first Constituent Assembly election in 2064, he became the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies for the second time. In 2066, the then UML leader Madhav Kumar again became the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and achieved a hat-trick in the cabinet of Nepal. In 2068, he became the Minister of Health and Population. At the same time, he claimed to have built a well-equipped hospital in the district headquarters, Malangwa. In 2078, he became the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Urban Development. The condition of education, health, and roads in Sarlahi-2 is pathetic.

Sarlahi is the district with the highest poverty line after Rautahat in Madhesh. There is 26.70 percent poverty here. The literacy rate in this area is lower than the national average of 76.2 percent. Although the number of government schools seems sufficient, there is a lack of quality education and physical infrastructure. Since the district headquarters Malangwa is in this area, there is a district hospital. However, there is a lack of skilled manpower (doctors) and equipment in health posts in rural areas.

Jagdish Mahato, a laborer driving a cart in the district headquarters, said, ‘Look at the condition of the headquarters. If someone falls ill, they have to be taken to Chitwan and Kathmandu for treatment, there are no well-equipped hospitals and doctors.’

Although the construction of the postal highway has provided some relief, the internal roads are unpaved. Dr. Saroj Yadav, the Congress candidate from Sarlahi-2, said that there is a problem of internal roads becoming muddy during the rainy season and traffic being disrupted due to the lack of proper drainage arrangements. ‘There is a problem of drowning. The situation in the district headquarters is not good,' he said, 'development work including education, health, roads and others will have to be done.' He is the son of former Congress minister Nagendra Raya Yadav.

Competition after 12 years
Yadav and Mahato, who emerged from leftist politics, are going to compete after 12 years. Yadav, 88, started his political journey in 037 BS with the NCP (Bishnu Manandhar Group). He contested the election from Sarlahi-1 from UML in 051 BS and entered parliament by defeating Congress's Brahma Narayan Chaudhary by a margin of 10,205 votes.

Yadav got 23,758 votes while Chaudhary got 13,553 votes. In 056 BS, he won from the same constituency by getting 23,444 votes. His nearest competitor, Congress's Ram Singh Sah Teli, got 19,126 votes. In the first Constituent Assembly election of 2064, Yadav was elected from the Rastriya Janata Party through proportional quota.

In the second Constituent Assembly election of 2070, he changed parties and contested from Sarlahi-4 from the Tarai Madhes Sadbhavana Party and defeated Sadbhavana candidate Mahato by getting 11,534 votes. Mahato had secured 8,790 votes. UML's Ram Narayan Sah came third with 8,348 votes.

In 2074, he reached Sarlahi-2 and contested from the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal and won by getting 29,191 votes. The nearest Congress candidate, Jangilal Raya, had secured 18,976 votes. In 2079, he won from Sarlahi-2 from the Nepal Socialist and Maoist Center alliance by getting 23,529 votes. Mahato of the nearest LOSPA got 21,518 votes. Yadav has been in power since 2055. He became the Minister of State for the first time in 2055. He has since become the Minister of Industry in 2065, the Minister of Irrigation in 2069, the Minister of Agriculture in 2072, and the Minister of Women and Children in 2075.

Both are ‘party changers’
Both Mahato and Yadav are said to be keen on changing parties, their close associates say. Yadav admits that he is one of those who change parties. ‘Despite getting an identity, Madhesh has not yet been able to gain power,’ Yadav said, ‘I worked for 18 years in the Madhesh party. After completing the mission, I returned to the Left.’ Yadav insisted that Mahato does not have any party.

It seems that both leaders change alliances and parties from time to time to maintain power and balance of power. In some cases, Yadav has changed parties or election symbols to create a favorable environment for winning elections and aligning with strong forces. He also served on the presidium of the then Nepal Samajwadi Party led by former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.

Leaders aged 25 to 70 are competing in Sarlahi-2. According to the Election Commission, Yadav is 88 years old. Mahato is also 67 years old. Rabin Mahato from the Rashtriya Samajwadi Party and Yadav from the Congress are competing with them. Yadav's hold is visible in rural and Yadav-dominated areas. Mahato's influence is considered strong in the district headquarters and the Vaishya community. This time, the competition is becoming interesting due to the young candidates.

The Congress has put forward Yadav to maintain its hold. Dr. Yadav is familiar with district politics. Although he is a doctor by profession, the Congress has made Satriya Yadav a candidate in the social and political fields for a long time. He was the vice-president of the district working committee.

His father, Congress leader Nagendra Rai, is an experienced politician. He was elected from Sarlahi-4 from the Congress in 2056. In 2074, he became an MP for the second time from a proportional representation party. In 2079, he was defeated by independent candidate Amresh Kumar Singh as a candidate from Sarlahi-4. He has served as the Assistant Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in the federal government. He has served as the party's district president since 2052 and has nominated his son this time.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has fielded Mahato as a candidate from Sarlahi-2. Mahato is reaching out to voters with the slogan of 'change and alternative politics'. He has made anti-corruption, good governance, and youth self-employment his election campaign. His strategy is to turn the disillusionment with traditional parties into his favor. ‘Whether urban or rural, the support of young voters is my strength,’ he said, ‘Now with the new generation and change, a complete change is possible in the country.’ In 2079, Jayakaran Mahato, who became a candidate from (RSVP), had received 569 votes.’

Former professor Yogendra Yadav says that the election results may be different this time as the people are fed up with parties carrying old thinking and old mentality. ‘Yesterday, people from my caste used to win by counting the number of people from my caste, but the people’s problems were the same,’ he said, ‘Now the situation has changed with the new generation and the Gen-G movement. This time, it would not be surprising if results that no one had imagined come out in Madhesh.’

There are 31 candidates in Sarlahi-2. Of these, 17 are independents. This area includes the district headquarters Malangwa Municipality, Haripur Municipality and Wards 8, 9 and 10 of Kabilasi Municipality and Ward 15 of Ishworpur Municipality. Kadauna Rural Municipality, Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8 of Bishnupur Rural Municipality, Brahmapuri Rural Municipality, Parsa Rural Municipality. The Congress has won the Malangwa Municipality Mayor.