May 26, Kathmandu – The Terai Madhesh Loktantrik Party (TAMLOPA) has recommended that the government divide the entire Madhesh region into two provinces. Led by party chairman Brisheshchandra Lal, TAMLOPA suggested to the constitutional amendment discussion committee that Madhesh be re-delineated into Eastern and Western Madhesh provinces. The party expressed concerns that including only eighteen districts in Madhesh Province while allocating other districts to different provinces has caused feelings of disrespect among the Madheshi and Tharu communities.
Highlighting that provincial boundaries have been contentious since the constitution’s promulgation, TAMLOPA stated, “Regions outside the eight Madhesh districts have been forcibly integrated into other provinces. The Madheshi and Tharu people here feel disregarded regarding their identity and self-governance rights. We demand a re-delineation of the entire Madhesh into two provinces named Eastern and Western Madhesh.” Additionally, the party submitted an eight-point recommendation on the constitutional amendment, addressing electoral systems, governance structures, and other issues. TAMLOPA emphasized the need to strengthen federalism.
The proposal notes, “Any attempt through constitutional amendment to weaken federalism or centralize power by altering its nature is unacceptable.” The party recommended adopting a fully proportional electoral system based on provinces as electoral constituencies, stating, “In elections for both the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies, provinces should be regarded as constituencies, with a full proportional system implemented.” TAMLOPA also called for representation in the National Assembly to be based on population. For Nepal’s governance model, it stated that the Westminster multi-party parliamentary democratic system is the most suitable. Furthermore, the party suggested that local government elections should be conducted on a non-partisan basis.
