In the eighteen years since he joined the peace process, Pushpa Kamal Dahal has gone through countless turning points in Nepali politics. He has gone from being a commander of the 'People's War' to a signatory of the peace agreement, an activist for party dissolution and reconstruction, to becoming the Prime Minister three times. Despite being the third force, his strategy of changing the shoulders of power by calculating the 'magic number' has become a political sleight of hand for his supporters.

An example of opportunism for critics. Dahal himself, who is waiting for the same 'magic' number once again, is contesting the election in Rukum East. Although he has not faced stiff competition, he has had to face all the questions raised by opposition candidates and voters.

In all the five elections since 2064, he has stood in different geographies. Except for the one he repeated in Kathmandu-10, he did not create a permanent constituency. His political map has been constantly changing. In a positive sense, it can also be said that it has created the image of a 'national leader'. However, at present, opposition candidates are accusing the constituency of changing due to the weakening of the permanent public base. Dahal is now 'facing' the same accusation in Rukum East.

11 people are in the competition with Dahal, including Kusumdevi Thapa of the Nepali Congress, Lilamani Gautam of the UML, and Sandeep Pun of the Progressive Democratic Party (Pralopa). The organization of the Nepali Congress and the Nepali Congress had shrunk in Rukum East since the 'People's War'. After the Maoists entered the peace process, the Nepali Congress and the Nepali Congress have been expanding their party organizations. However, the then Maoists (now the CPN) still have a dominant position in the elections.

The Maoists have won all three municipalities in the last local level. 079 Federal In the election, there was an alliance of Congress, Maoists and Unified Socialists on one side and RPP and JSP led by UML on the other. Purna Bahadur Gharti Magar, who was the then Maoist candidate, won by getting 12,262 votes. UML came in second with 5,211 votes. Other parties could not even cross a thousand votes. If we look at the votes received by the parties, leaving aside the direct votes, in this district, the Maoists got 8,271 votes while the Congress came second with 5,692 votes. UML got 3,659 votes while RSP got only 466 votes.

Dahal is seeking votes with the memory of the 'People's War', the political achievements of the peace process and the unfulfilled dream of development. Just as East Rukum made a leap in development after 2064 BS, local leaders and activists are hopeful that remote East Rukum will also be accessible after Dahal comes. However, opposition candidates have been saying that the development of the district will be incomplete even if Dahal wins the election because his constituency keeps changing.

The headquarter became easier to reach after the Mid-Hill Highway was connected in 2070 BS. ‘ Musikot, which is currently the headquarters of Rukum West, was already connected to the road network before the arrival of the multi-party system. From there, one had to walk for a whole day to reach Rukumkot,’ said the then member of the House of Representatives, Gharti. ‘Until 2070 BS, the road was not connected to the Rukumkot headquarters.’

Dahal became the first Prime Minister for 9 months from 2065 BS to 2065 BS. Then he became the Prime Minister for the second time from 2073 Shrawan 20 to 2074 Jestha 24 and for the third time from 2079 Poush 10 to 2081 Asar 30. The party remained in government for most of the time.

The Maoists always won the elections from Rukum East. Until the second Constituent Assembly in 070, Rukum was a single district. At that time, Janardan Sharma was elected from the West and Ganeshman Pun from the East. With the promulgation of the 072 constitution, Rukum was divided into two districts. Ganeshman's wife Kamala Rokale won the election from Rukum East, which is the youngest district in the country, in 074. Ganeshman Pun and his wife also became ministers, although for a short time. In 079, Gharti won the election in the alliance of the Congress and the UML.

However, the motorway has not yet reached some wards of Sisne and Puthauttarganga. Even the roads that have been reached are not paved, so vehicles cannot ply after the rains.

There are three rural municipalities in the district. All of them are led by the then Maoists. Out of 31 wards, the Maoists won in 21 wards. UML won in 7 and Congress in only 3 wards. Dahal could not campaign in most of the places where roads did not reach Sisne and Puthauttarganga rural municipalities.

Dahal, who has been the Prime Minister three times, has questions from local voters not only on local development issues, but also on national issues such as good governance, economic recession, youth migration and corruption. They are saying that wartime sentiments should not be allowed to fester, but also need development that is fruitful. Dahal, who has made a name for himself as a non-repeating constituency, said that developing Rukum West was just a false promise from the Congress candidate Thapa.

‘Dahal had said in 2064 that he would make Rolpa the capital of the Magars. Now, he will come to Rukum and develop everything. He has said that he will pave all the roads.’ Thapa says, ‘Who would believe that he would do everything now, when he was the Prime Minister three times?’

When asked about his candidacy, Dahal has been resisting by saying that he can win ‘a single MP’ from anywhere. ‘I can win an MP from anywhere in Nepal. I am the only leader who can win an election anywhere. I have not seen anyone else’s strength so far,’ Dahal had said a few days ago at an election rally in Rukum East while refuting the opposition’s allegations.

UML candidate Gautam says that the district has become worried that it will face a situation without a public representative for five years after Dahal came to contest the elections. He said that the district will be without a public representative for five years. ‘The population of this district is the same as the number of a single ward in the metropolis. Prachanda has reduced his political stature by coming to this small place,’ Gautam said, ‘If a person from the district had won the election, the representative would have been among the people. He knew the geography. He could have understood the suffering and pain of the people here. He could have identified the priorities for development. But I don’t think Prachanda will return to the district after winning the election.’

However, former MP Ganeshman Pun, coordinator of the election mobilization committee of the NCP Rukum East, says that it is the need of the hour for Dahal to come and contest in Rukum East. According to him, to implement the new socialist line drawn by Dahal, either Rukum East or the Karnali region should have been chosen. Apart from these two places, there was no end in sight.

‘Choosing Rukum (East), the central base area of ​​the then Maoist people’s war and a historical area with many martyr families, has also increased the respect of this region,’ he said, ‘Prachanda registered his nomination by taking a ticket from the martyr family.’ On the day of nomination, Dahal himself accepted the ticket signed by the martyr family.

Dahal, who returned to the capital after completing about seven days of election campaigning in his constituency, made a statement at a program organized in Kathmandu a few days ago that he had returned from Rukum East after ‘relaxing’.

Congress candidate Thapa has objected to Dahal's statement. According to her, Dahal is a tourist who has come to visit, not for the development of the district. 'Prachanda neither understands the pain of the people here, nor the geography. He has made fun of the people by saying that he has come to relax,' she said, 'I understand the pain of the people. I understand the geography. I understand art and culture. I know the priority of development. But, for Prachanda, there is no other goal except winning the election once.'

NCP leader Pun said that Dahal's statement was misunderstood. 'Relaxed means not feeling tired. Feeling fresh. Even at the age of 70, he walked without feeling tired, in some places even the youth could not walk with him,' he said, 'It was misunderstood.'

Dahal was first elected from Rolpa and Kathmandu-10 in 2064. In the second Constituent Assembly election of 2070, he left Rolpa and contested from Siraha-5 and Kathmandu-10. At that time, when he was elected from Siraha, he was defeated from Kathmandu-10. Then in 2074, he was elected from Chitwan-3. In 2079, Dahal, who left Chitwan and reached Gorkha-2 and was elected, reached Rukum East this time. The population of Rukum East is about 57,960, but there are 34,772 voters here.

Whenever Dahal sees the shadow of a leadership crisis, he even goes on the path of party dissolution and reorganization to save his relevance. Dahal, who has gone through many such detours, did the same thing after the Gen-G rebellion.

The then Maoists were dissolved. The Nepali Communist Party (NCP) was formed by combining various small communist elements including the Unified Socialist Party led by Madhav Nepal. He became its coordinator. After Dahal dissolved the Maoist Party, Janardan Sharma, who had been challenging him for leadership, formed a separate party. Now Sharma is a candidate in Rukum West from Pralopa, while Dahal is a candidate in Rukum East.

Sharma initially tried to increase his influence in both districts of Rukum, saying that it was not Dahal who would lead the Maoists to dissolution, but that he would carry the legacy of the Maoist 'people's war'. However, after facing challenges from 'former Maoists' himself, he has not been able to leave the constituency where he contested. In Dahal's place, Sandeep Pun, a member of the martyr family, is the candidate from Pralopa.

He lost his parents in police action during the then Maoist 'people's war'. His father, Surya Prasad Pun, and mother, Parampara Gautam, had a democratic marriage during the underground period. His father was killed in a police operation on Jestha 13, 2059, and his mother, Parampara Gautam, on Jestha 24, 2059. Their only son, Sandeep, was only four years old at the time. Mother Parampara had raised Sandeep as much as she could during the underground period. He was then raised in his maternal uncle's house. The locals named Sandeep 'Gimichchino' during the underground period. 'Gimichchino' is a word spoken in the Kham language. It means 'our Koseli'.

'Now, when we reached Maikot during the election campaign, some locals even called us 'Gimichchino' and even took out a photo taken at that time and showed it to us', Pralopa's local leader Vijay KC, showing a photo of Sandeep taken during his underground days in the village, said, 'There is no one who does not recognize him because he walked on this very hill with his parents in his arms as a child.'

Sandeep says that the party's dissolution is contrary to the spirit of the Gen-G revolution and the Maoist movement. He said that he had decided not to remain in that party after bringing in those accused of corruption and forming a new party. 'Now the era of Prachanda is over. Youth like us should come. Even if Prachanda wins, he will not become the Prime Minister. Now we have more seats than him,' he said, 'for whom the Maoist party was formed. It can be understood that the Maoists stopped talking about the problems of the common people after people from that community joined the movement.'

UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli wanted to support Sandeep. Oli's aim to increase pressure on Dahal was not possible as the candidates here did not support him. 'After hearing that the UML would support Pralopa, I met the chairman and asked him to contest the election after the party had formed a candidate from the youth cluster. I demanded that the UML should be allowed to vote for Surya to establish the party among the people, and the chairman agreed,' said UML candidate Gautam.

Dahal had started his election journey from Magh 29. Dahal had decided to contest the election from Rukum East just a month before the nomination. The NCP Rukum East had recommended the names of 9 other people besides Dahal as candidates, but later the situation changed when Dahal himself wanted to come to Rukum East.

Dahal, who reached Rukumkot for nomination on Magh 6, tried to break the pressure within the party for generational change by saying that this was his last election in a program organized on the same day. After that, he came on Magh 29 by organizing a week-long program.

Dahal addressed the 31st 'People's War Day' organized in Khabang Bagar of Bhume Rural Municipality on Falgun 1. On the same day in the morning, he met voters in Labang, Dharamshala and Mahat villages. After celebrating the 'People's War Day', he met voters in Bhume-8 Korja on the same day and stayed in Chunbang. He held a meeting in Chunbang on Falgun 2. On the same day, a public meeting was organized in Taksera of Puthauttarganga. On Falgun 3, he reached Bachhi Gaun, Birgum, Padmi, Okhma in Puthauttarganga, Dimurgaira, Tatopani and Maikot and remained busy meeting voters. On Falgun 4, he met voters in Damchan, Mthalyoshera, Talloshera, Falmai, Kol, Rangsi, Nakha and Jama Bagar in Puthauttarganga. After this, he settled in Naigadh in Sisne. On Falgun 5, he went door-to-door there in the morning, and after holding election meetings in the afternoon, he returned to the district headquarters, Rukumkot. On Falgun 6, Dahal also reached various wards and toles in Sisne and participated in election programs. On Rukum West, he returned to Kathmandu via Nepalgunj on the 7th. In the meantime, Dahal traveled on foot and in a vehicle. His journey was mostly by car.

Photos and videos of Dahal's election campaign are still being trolled on social media. Many videos and pictures of him eating corn snacks, chewing roti, dancing peacocks, and dancing panseru can be seen everywhere on social media.

Dahal is not in his constituency at the moment, but leader Ganeshman Pun and MP Purna Gharti of the dissolved House of Representatives are taking charge of his entire election campaign. He returned after completing a week-long election program. Before leaving for Kathmandu, he had said that he would come to the district as soon as he cast his vote in Chitwan. Since then, he has been in regular contact with local leaders. He is closely monitoring the political activities in Rukum East along with the country, according to NCP leaders.

Dahal's relationship with this geography is not new. Dahal himself has repeatedly said during his election campaign that the war was born and spread from here and that the path to peace in the country was set. The meeting in Bhadra 2062, when the then Maoists abandoned the path of armed struggle and gave the movement a direction for the peace process, is famous as the 'Chunbang Meeting'.

'After that, a 12-point agreement was reached with the then seven political parties, and on its foundation, a 19-day people's movement brought a republic to the country,' recalls former MP Gharti. It now takes about two and a half hours by car to go from the district headquarters to Chunbang. Dahal also visited there in Falgun during the election campaign. 'Prachanda looked at the rooms where his wife Sita and son Prakash were sleeping at that time, and looked at the bed where they were sleeping for a while. The journalist asked a question about his wife Sita, and Prachanda got emotional,' Gharti said.

The hall where the historic meeting was held is now being converted into a guerrilla trail and a war museum. Dahal had reached the venue by helicopter on 2073 Poush 9 when he was the Prime Minister. After that, he went for election campaigning. The name has now been changed to Peace Museum, saying that it would give a bad image to the people. The government is spending Rs 20 million to build a concrete structure for it.

The Labang meeting of the land is also famous. The meeting took action against Baburam Bhattarai, Hisila Yami, and Devendra Poudel among others. The action was managed by reaching the Chunbang meeting.

Dahal had a meeting with East Rukum. He has repeatedly said that his candidacy is an attempt to revive emotional ties. Former MP Pun says that the main goal of Dahal's speech is to keep the martyr families, former fighters and the party structure united. The people of Rukum consider Pushpa Kamal Dahal as their own nephew and son because this is also the place where Pushpa Kamal Dahal was made 'Prachanda'.

7 days of Dahal's election campaign in Rukum East:

Magh 6

- Nomination registration

Falgun 1

- 31st People's War Day (Bhume Rural Municipality) Morning:

Meetings in Labang, Dharamshala and Mahat villages and in the afternoon Addressing the 31st People's War Day in Khabang Bagar and meeting voters in Korja Night:

Staying in Chunbang Falgun 2

Morning: Meeting in Chunbang

Afternoon:

Meeting in Taksera. Falgun 3

– Public meeting in Dimurgaira’s Tatopani and Maikot via Bachigaun, Birgum, Padmi, Okhma. Falgun 4

– Morning/afternoon

Puthauttarganga and Sisne. Meeting with voters in Damchan, Upper Sera, Lower Sera, Falmai, Kol, Rangsi, Nakha, Jama Bagar. Evening : Stay in Sisne-Nayagadh. Falgun 5