Doubts Over the Front Even in Madhes

Kathmandu: Madhes-centric parties, which had risen to power by forming fronts, had weakened after abandoning those fronts. Continuously weakened, these Madhesi parties have now been compelled to form the Federal Democratic Front.

The parties that emerged from the Madhes movement have gradually started removing the word “Madhes” not only from their party names but also from the names of their fronts. At one time, the word “Madhes” was attached to the names of most Madhes-focused parties, but after the second Constituent Assembly election, these parties began removing “Tarai/Madhes” from their names in an attempt to become national parties.

Madhesi parties, which had gained strength in the streets, parliament, and government by agitating under the United Democratic Madhesi Front, have now formed the Federal Democratic Front. On Thursday, the front was announced, comprising JSP Nepal led by Upendra Yadav, LSP Nepal led by Mahantha Thakur, National Liberation Party Nepal led by Rajendra Mahato, Janamat Party led by Dr. CK Raut, Janmat Party with Resham Chaudhary as patron, TMLP led by Brishesh Chandra Lal, and People’s Progressive Party led by Hridayesh Tripathi.

With the formation of this front, various doubts have arisen. In the past, these parties, which have gone from forming fronts to merging into a single party, have often split over issues of power. Hence, there is growing curiosity about how long they will remain united in this newly formed front.

Nevertheless, the top leaders of the parties in the front have expressed their commitment to not repeating past mistakes and correcting their shortcomings.

Madhesi-morcha

Political analyst Dr. Surendra Labh stated that it is natural for people to be curious about how long these Madhesi parties will remain united in this front. He noted that due to their failure to establish credibility in the past, skepticism among Madhesi people toward the front persists.

Analyst Labh emphasized that these parties now have a significant opportunity to prove themselves by working in the interest of the people.

Out of the seven parties, except for the Janamat Party chaired by Dr. CK Raut, the other six were once part of the same front or, at some point, the same party. Having repeatedly divided over government-related issues, they have now joined this front after their roles in national politics weakened.

JSP Nepal’s General Secretary Ram Kumar Sharma claimed that the front was formed to review and amend the constitution, which they have rejected since 2072 BS (2015 CE). He stated that amid concerns about efforts to eliminate smaller parties and push the country toward a two-party system, these parties have united. “Federalism in the country is under attack, and regressive forces are stirring. That’s why we’ve formed this front,” he said.

Sharma acknowledged that it is natural for doubts to arise about the front, given that past fronts failed to meet people’s expectations. However, he added that they are now seeking forgiveness from the people and moving forward by correcting past mistakes.

When the Congress-UML coalition was formed, constitutional amendment became a key agenda. As talks surfaced about eliminating smaller parties through constitutional amendments, moving toward a two-party system, abolishing proportional representation, and raising the electoral threshold percentage, Madhesi parties grew alarmed and began preparations to form this front.

The initiative began with Hridayesh Tripathi, chairman of the People’s Progressive Party. Tripathi, a leader who had previously worked within fronts, had left TMLP when Mahantha Thakur merged it with other Madhesi parties to form RJPN. After forming a campaign and contesting the 2074 BS (2017 CE) election with UML’s symbol, he achieved decent results. However, in 2079 BS (2022 CE), neither he nor his other candidates could secure strong votes.

After growing weaker in politics day by day, Tripathi formed the People’s Progressive Party. When that party failed to progress, he turned his focus toward forming a front. He then convinced leaders of various parties to announce this front.

It’s not just Chairman Tripathi—every party in this front is in a precarious state. Four of the parties in the front have no representation in parliament. JSP Nepal, Citizens’ Liberation Party, Lospa Nepal, and Janamat Party are also in a weakened position. The total number of parliamentary seats held by the parties in the front is 19, which has sparked some hope among them.

History of the Front
Madhes-centric parties have a history of gaining strength by forming fronts. When the then-Madhesi People’s Rights Forum Nepal launched the Madhes movement in 2064 BS (2007 CE), it formed the Madhesi Front with the Sadbhawana Party led by Rajendra Mahato. Later, the then-Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMLP) led by Mahantha Thakur joined, and the front was renamed the “United Democratic Madhesi Front.”

The three-party United Democratic Madhesi Front launched the second phase of the movement. After three to four months of momentum, an 8-point agreement was signed between the government and the Madhesi Front on Falgun 16, 2064 BS (February 28, 2008). Following the agreement, the parties in the front began preparing for elections.

However, in the first Constituent Assembly election of 2064 BS, the parties in the Madhesi Front did not participate together. Unable to agree on seat-sharing, the three parties failed to coordinate and contested the election separately. Despite this, they secured a decent presence in the Constituent Assembly.

After the election, the Madhesi Front was reactivated for government formation. Madhesi parties under the front joined the government multiple times. They also exerted unified pressure during the constitution-making process, pushing for Madhes rights and identity to be enshrined in the constitution. Occasionally, they organized protests. While participating in the government, these parties also faced internal divisions. Nevertheless, even after splitting, they gradually rejoined the United Democratic Madhesi Front. At that time, Vijay Kumar Gachhadar’s then-Madhesi People’s Rights Forum Democratic, Jay Prakash Gupta’s then-Madhesi People’s Rights Forum Republican, and Mahendra Ray Yadav’s then-Tarai Madhes Democratic Sadbhawana Party also joined the three-party Madhesi Front.

Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly
When the constitution could not be drafted, the first Constituent Assembly was dissolved. This happened at a time when Madhesi parties had a strong presence in the then-government led by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai. Except for Upendra Yadav’s party, all Madhesi parties were in the government.

From the Home Ministry to the Physical Infrastructure Ministry, and from the Health Ministry to the Energy Ministry, Madhesi parties held sway.

By then, Upendra Yadav had already separated from the Madhesi Front. After the Constituent Assembly was dissolved, the Madhesi Front also fell apart. Ahead of the second Constituent Assembly election date, efforts were made to revive the front. It included Mahantha Thakur’s TMLP, Upendra Yadav’s Forum, and Rajendra Mahato’s Sadbhawana Party once again.

However, they could not agree on contesting the election together. In the second Constituent Assembly election of 2070 BS (2013 CE), the Madhesi Front dissolved, and they contested separately. The results were disastrous for all parties. Subsequently, they decided to revive the Madhesi Front once more.

On Mangsir 8, 2071 BS (November 24, 2014), six Madhes-centric political parties revived the United Democratic Madhesi Front. The front included Gachhadar’s Democratic Forum, Mahantha Thakur’s TMLP, Upendra Yadav’s Forum Nepal, Rajendra Mahato’s Sadbhawana Party, Sharad Singh Bhandari’s Madhes Socialist Party, and Mahendra Ray Yadav’s Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party.

Previously involved parties like Rajkishor Yadav’s Forum Republican and Anil Kumar Jha’s Federal Sadbhawana Party did not join this time.

Decision Not to Join the Government
This front made a one-point decision: none of its constituents would join the government until the constitution was drafted.

True to their decision, none of the front’s parties participated in the government. To ensure their issues were included in the constitution, the Madhesi Front continued its protests. During the agitation, Sharad Singh Bhandari’s National Madhes Socialist Party withdrew from the front.

From there, Bhandari formed the Federal Inclusive Alliance, which included JP Gupta’s Tarai Madhes National Campaign, Anil Kumar Jha’s Federal Sadbhawana Party, Rajkishor Yadav’s Forum Republican, and Bhandari’s RMSP. This alliance also launched a movement to enshrine Madhesi rights and identity in the constitution. Thus, two alliances were agitating in Madhes simultaneously.

During the constitution-drafting process, Vijay Kumar Gachhadar separated from the United Democratic Madhesi Front and signed a 16-point agreement with Congress, UML, and Maoist parties, agreeing to advance the constitution-making process.

Blockade
Despite the protests by the Madhesi Front and the alliance, Nepal’s Constitution 2072 was promulgated via a fast-track process on Ashoj 3, 2072 BS (September 20, 2015). Subsequently, the Madhesi Front launched a general strike in Madhes and imposed a blockade starting in Mangsir 2072 BS (November 2015). Madhesi leaders stationed themselves at the Nepal-India border, vocally demanding constitutional amendments.

During the agitation, in Mangsir 2072 BS, Bhandari’s National Madhes Socialist Party, Anil Jha’s Federal Sadbhawana, and Rajkishor Yadav’s Forum Republican rejoined the Madhesi Front. The seven-party Madhesi Front intensified the movement, and the blockade created a crisis across the country.

Amid the protests, the then-government led by Sushil Koirala agreed to amend the constitution. Provisions for proportional inclusion were added, but the Madhesi Front was not satisfied with this alone and continued the agitation. When UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli became prime minister and prepared for an India visit, the blockade was suddenly lifted in Magh 2072 BS (January 2016). Madhesi leaders gradually abandoned the border posts.

That was the first Madhesi Front agitation to end without an agreement. The front disintegrated, and for a long time, it remained inactive.

Upendra Yadav had already left the front and aligned with Maoist Chairman Prachanda, who was prime minister at the time and also had the support of the Madhesi Front.

Meanwhile, other Madhesi parties were in disarray. Later, Mahantha Thakur, Rajendra Mahato, Anil Kumar Jha, Rajkishor Yadav, Sharad Singh Bhandari, and Mahendra Ray Yadav revived the front. In Falgun 2073 BS (February 2017), the United Democratic Madhesi Front held a meeting and decided that the election process should proceed only after passing a constitutional amendment proposal, threatening otherwise not to participate in the elections. The front also warned of withdrawing support from the government.

Between the constitution’s promulgation and the 2074 BS election, 36 rounds of talks were held between the United Democratic Madhesi Front and the government, but no conclusion was reached. Gradually, the front dissolved, and no efforts were made to revive it afterward. After the 2074 BS election, Madhesi parties went their separate ways—some joined the government, while others focused on leading provincial governments. They couldn’t form a front, but in Baisakh 2077 BS (April 2020), all Madhesi parties united to form JSP Nepal. That unity didn’t last long either.

Before the 2079 BS election, JSP Nepal split. Mahantha Thakur and others separated to form Lospa Nepal. Rajendra Mahato split from Lospa to form the National Liberation Party. Resham Chaudhary, still in JSP Nepal, formed the Citizens’ Liberation Party from jail. After the election, a faction led by Ashok Rai split from Upendra Yadav’s JSP Nepal to form JSP. In other words, the once-united Madhesi parties fragmented.

Now, those fragmented parties have come together again under a front. However, it remains uncertain how long they will stay united.