Congress candidate Sandeep Rana has won the election for the House of Representatives member in Palpa Constituency No. 1, which has been won by the Communist Party since 2048 BS. He has succeeded in making the Congress win again after 34 years.

Rana won by a margin of 1,517 votes over his nearest rival, Narayan Prasad Acharya of UML, said Election Officer Dasharath Pangeni of Election Office Area 1. Rana got 18,336 votes while his nearest rival, Acharya, got 16,819 votes. Similarly, Bimal Pant of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) who came in third place got 14,333 votes.

Kaluram Rana of the Nepali Congress had won the 2048 election in Palpa-1 after the 2046 Jana Andolan. UML candidates had been winning in all the elections since then. Dal Bahadur Rana of UML had won the election in the 2051 mid-term elections.

In 2056, he became a candidate from the ML and the election was won by Bhadra Bahadur Thapa of UML. Dal Bahadur Rana won the Constituent Assembly election-2064 from UML. Radhakrishna Kandel won the Constituent Assembly election in 2070, Dal Bahadur Rana again in 2074 and Acharya won the election in 2079.

Palpa-1, used to be counted in the safe zone of UML across the country. That is why UML has been winning by a wide margin in all elections since 2051. But this time, the young candidate Rana registered victory after 6 elections.

Rana, who demonstrated decency, religious personality, humble speech, and intimacy with everyone, has succeeded in bringing back the history he won in 2048, said Congress regional president Jham Raj Magar. ‘I felt that the issue of getting votes was not a simple one,’ he said, ‘The votes were also increasing because some people vote based on personality.’ Even in the previous 2079 elections, when there was a proportional candidate, some basis was created and now we have won.'

Rana was on the proportional list in the 2079 elections. This area is dominated by ethnic minorities. But UML had been dominant for years. Except for Rampur Municipality in this area, UML has won at all local levels. Netra Prasad Bhattarai, the president of Rampur Municipality of the Congress, said that the victory was also due to the fact that Rana, elected by the Congress, is a young man who can mix with the locals and work.

Who is Rana?

Rana is a permanent resident of Rampur Municipality-7, Palpa. Born in 2044 BS, Rana spent his childhood in Rampur. A graduate in political science/law, he was associated with the Nepal Students' Union since school days. He has been active in politics from the district working committee of the Nepal Students' Union, Palpa. During his studies in India, he was the President of the Nepal Students' Union of India. He is the International Secretary of the World Students' Youth Association and the President of the International BP Chintan Foundation. A member of the Lumbini Province of the Nepali Congress and a member of the Nepali Congress Mahasamiti, Rana is active in various social organizations.

He is a leading campaigner for the preservation and promotion of the Nepali language. He was active in relief and rescue work during the devastating earthquake of 2072 BS. He took a leading initiative to safely return thousands of Nepalis stranded in India during the 2076 BS (Covid-19) pandemic. He was active in providing necessary health supplies and solving the oxygen problem in Nepal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is active in arranging studies for poor and meritorious students across the country and managing necessary educational materials. He is active in bringing physical development plans in Palpa district and providing necessary equipment for the health sector.