CPN (Maoist Center) sole female directly elected candidate, Rekha Sharma In the limelight after she defeated UML general secretary Shankar PokrelSharma, a former minister of parliament for the Maoist Center and a member of the party’s standing committee, said: of the post Tika R. Pradhanabout her victory, her party’s prospects in the next government, and the emergence of new forces in the House of Commons.
What was it like to beat a “heavyweight” contender like UML General Secretary?
My political experience was limited to ensuring the victory of other candidates. This was my first election experience under the first post-the-post system. It was a challenge. But we knew it would be difficult to fight an important and established leader, so we were ready. succeeded in unifying
What is the reason for your victory?
The Coalition received 4,000 to 5,000 more votes than UML. This was also possible because the local branches of the allied parties were more united than they were in the local elections. However, many factors determine whether a candidate wins or loses.
Transferring votes is not the only way to win an election. Dang-2 was so competitive that I put in double the effort, but the other leaders seemed overconfident just because they were in an electoral alliance. Overconfidence is never good in elections. Our district focused on collecting votes instead of relying solely on vote movement. That approach contributed to the victory.
Your party seems open to all sides when it comes to government formation. Is a left-wing alliance still possible?
A left-wing alliance is not possible any time soon. I recently met with the party chairman. Arguing with left-wing parties is one thing, but forming coalitions is another ballgame. When it comes to forming a new government, I don’t think our party will look beyond the existing coalition government. Having conducted the poll under the coalition, our focus is to further strengthen it. Personally, I think it would be unethical to abandon the current coalition. We always want left forces to unite, but previous left alliances fell apart not because of us, but because of our partners.
What are the prospects for the Maoist Center to lead the new government?
I think the top leaders should finalize the pre-election deal to lead the government in turn. Once the relative strengths of the two parties are clear, the two leaders, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, will have to make a final decision on who should head the government first. . As the largest party in the House of Commons, it is clear that Congress will claim the position of Prime Minister. On the other hand, it is not unethical to claim that Chairman Dahal will head the government during the first half of his five-year term. But I don’t think the debate about who will lead the government will affect the coalition.
What does the emergence of the Lastriya Swatantra Party mean for traditional political parties?
I understand this in two ways. There was extreme dissatisfaction among the public, as evidenced by voting patterns in the November poll. This is a challenge to traditional political parties. However, this is a public decision and should not be taken negatively. The success of the Lastriya Swatantra Party is a striking message to the old parties that if they do not change, people will look for alternatives. It is up to the old parties to correct their weaknesses.
Changing traditional political parties is essential. You have only two options. Either fix it yourself or leave it irrelevant. It’s a question of survival. If the party and the country can be managed systematically, little by little things will improve. We must stand out by being better than our competitors, not by proving others wrong. A culture of competition must be developed to keep the other parties on edge.
How do you think the old and new forces should work together?
Ultimately, whether you are an old party or a new party, it all boils down to hard work. we must work together. The new generation must get involved in politics, but do a good job instead of focusing on hurting the old parties and their leaders. Politics requires a cohesive approach. Yes, the combination of youthful energy and older generation experience must be used wisely.
It is wrong to dismiss young leaders for their inexperience and older leaders for failing to meet people’s expectations.
Can we expect a change in the leadership of the old party?
I think people are gradually recognizing the necessity of changing the party leader. Many youth leaders emerged victorious from the Nepalese parliament in this election. In our party, youth leaders have long been encouraged. Our main leader is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, but if we can challenge him with better programs and plans, he will be open to the emergence of such a leader. It means that internal elections to choose should also be held. Leadership must change by respecting the role of older generations, rather than abandoning them because they are old.
Why do you think many of your party’s key leaders lost?
You need to evaluate your party’s performance and make your party stand on its own. We must come up with concrete plans and programs to strengthen the Party. We were unable to run the party systematically. The inconsistency of the political party system is also influenced by international forces. Our party is under constant attack from many centers of power. Internally, our party has experienced some divisions after we joined the political mainstream. To do that, we need to change the way the party operates.
Your party did not field enough women candidates under the FPTP. How inclusive is the CPN (Maoist Center) as a political party?
This issue should be viewed in the light of party policy. Relatively better than other parties in terms of inclusiveness in candidate selection. In the current cabinet, we have 50 percent women and Dalits. She has 35% women on our committee. If we start the election of party committees, the representation will be even better. Other parties, however, have been reluctant to embrace inclusion. I think it would be a good idea to have provisions to enforce proportional representation in all sectors.