Summary: Badan Bhandari emphasized the need for strategic planning and clear goal-setting in future politics, asserting that his party will not compromise on good governance. He committed to raising internal warnings and engaging in struggle if party leadership takes the wrong path. According to Badan, the weakening of old parties has facilitated the rise of new forces, even though his own political training was received from those very old parties. Kathmandu, March 24 – Badan Bhandari of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswapa) was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Kavrepalanchok constituency no. 2, breaking the traditional dominance of CPN-UML in the area. This constituency had been represented by UML leader Gokul Baskota in 2017 and 2022. In the election held on February 21, Badan of Raswapa received 53,344 votes, pushing UML to third place. The Nepali Congress candidate Madhu Acharya took second place with 17,868 votes, while UML’s Ashok Kumar Byanju Shrestha obtained 13,940 votes, finishing third. Badan characterized his victory not as a mere election result but as the outcome of the Gen Z movement shaking the old political foundations. He attributed his success primarily to the decline in popularity of established parties and the growing attraction of the public toward Raswapa.
Bhandari stated, “I have experienced that the weakening of old parties has made the emergence of new forces easier, even though my political training came from those same parties.” He revealed that his political journey began in 2005 with the student wing of UML, ANNFSU. After KP Sharma Oli dissolved parliament, he chose to pursue party reformation. He felt the constitution was being ‘torn apart’ and joined the then-formed CPN (Unified Socialist) led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal, who had split from UML. However, seeing limited prospects for reform within these old parties, he joined Raswapa in April 2023.
Bhandari rejected the notion that those shifting from old parties to new ones are opportunistic. He argued that punishing old parties when they fail and opting for new alternatives is the beauty of democracy. He described Raswapa as a party grounded in constitutional socialism and participatory democracy. He expressed belief that socialism will prevail in the country once the fundamental rights guaranteed by the 2015 constitution are fully implemented. He added that Raswapa’s rise is aimed at promoting good governance, eradicating corruption, endorsing a welfare state structure, and supporting a liberal economy.
Detailing his election campaign, Bhandari said he often slept only three to four hours daily during his first election. Instead of focusing on large rallies or speeches, he visited over 600 local communities and households, calling the direct public engagement a key factor in his success. He emphasized that his communication avoided unnecessary promises, pledging that the public’s mandate after victory would be invested in good governance and development. He urged people to see him not as a contractor building roads and bridges but as a lawmaker engaged in policy-making.
Bhandari stressed that politics now requires vision and goal-setting. His party will not compromise on good governance. He committed to serving as a bridge between the government and the people in parliament and promised to raise voices against legal obstacles. Addressing concerns that many leaders adopt lavish lifestyles after getting elected, he assured the public that he would remain a grounded ‘man of the people’ and work for the oppressed classes.
He concluded, “This election heralds a new era of honesty in Nepali politics, which I will never allow to be broken.”
