KATHMANDU, Feb 26: “Hajur, I am Balen’s soldier.”
That is the line Rajunath Pandey repeats as he moves from door to door in Kathmandu Constituency-3. A former chief of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) municipal police during the tenure of former Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen), Pandey is anchoring his political identity in his close association with the outspoken mayor.
After Balen joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) as a senior leader and filed his candidacy from Jhapa-5 for the House of Representatives (HoR) election scheduled for March 5, Pandey followed suit — entering the fray from Kathmandu-3 under the same banner.
But the contest is far from straightforward.
While Pandey presents himself as a fresh face riding the “Balen wave,” another high-profile newcomer has stepped into the arena: former Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation and Chairman of the Ujyalo Nepal Party, Kulman Ghising.
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Ghising, widely credited with ending years of crippling load-shedding during his tenure as Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), brings with him a powerful personal brand built on performance and public trust. His entry has turned the race into a high-stakes showdown.
“This constituency will see a battle between the RSP wave and Kulman’s personality,” says Jayaram Pandit, a fancy store owner in Shivachowk, Gokarneshwar Municipality. “But Congress and UML are not weak either.”
Indeed, Kathmandu-3 is politically layered and numerically decisive. It includes Wards 1, 2 and 3 of Kageshwari Manohara Municipality (9,316 voters), all wards of Gokarneshwar Municipality (38,131 voters), and Ward No. 6 of KMC — the Bauddha area — with around 17,000 voters. In total, the constituency has 64,479 voters.
Kageshwari Manohara is considered a stronghold of influential CPN-UML leader Rameshwar Phuyal, a central committee member and seasoned political figure. A former Constituent Assembly member elected in 2013 and later a Bagmati Province Assembly member in 2017, Phuyal has also served as Bagmati’s Minister for Physical Infrastructure and held key local posts in the past.
In Gokarneshwar, Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Ramesh Aryal commands notable local support. A General Convention member of the NC and former ward chairperson (2017), Aryal’s grassroots background strengthens his appeal among traditional voters.
For these older parties, the message revolves around experience and institutional strength. But the mood among younger voters appears different. Many speak of change, transparency and alternatives to traditional politics — a sentiment that seems to benefit both Pandey and Ghising.
In Bauddha, support for Ghising appears particularly strong. Some voters draw a symbolic parallel: just as he lit up homes by ending load-shedding, they hope he can “light up” national politics.
Good governance and social justice anchor Ghising’s campaign. After eliminating nationwide load-shedding in 2016, he earned widespread popularity. With over 30 years of service at the NEA and two terms as Managing Director, his pitch rests heavily on managerial credibility. However, his relatively weak party structure could pose challenges in expanding door-to-door outreach.
Pandey, on the other hand, is banking squarely on the “Balen brand.” Having worked closely with the KMC mayor, he promises to carry that administrative style and reformist zeal into federal politics. His strategy is clear: convert urban frustration into parliamentary momentum.
What do past results indicate?
In the 2022 election, NC candidate Santosh Chalise won the seat with 15,158 votes. UML’s Krishna Bahadur Rai secured 11,196 votes, RSP’s Durga Bikram Thapa garnered 5,865 votes, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Ganesh Giri received 2,511 votes.
The numbers suggest that even modest vote fragmentation can reshape the outcome. In a multi-cornered race, narrow margins can flip the seat.
With 24 candidates registered for the March 5 HoR election, Kathmandu-3 is poised for a competitive and closely watched battle — one that may ultimately hinge on whether voters choose party waves, personal performance, or established experience.
