Lalitpur. Jagdish Kharel, who has been conveying the questions of the people to the ears of the government through the television screen and radio mic for the last 25 years, is now in a new and decisive role.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has filed its candidate for the House of Representatives election from Lalitpur Constituency-2. At present, Kharel is busy meeting the locals at the chowks, tea shops and settlements in his area.

Born in 2039 BS in Kalinchowk Rural Municipality-Sunkhani of Dolakha district, Kharel’s journey is a document of struggle and continuity. His communication journey that started in 1999 with KATH FM and Image Channel has successfully completed 25 years.

Kharel, who holds a master’s degree in journalism from RR Campus and is currently pursuing a PhD on international relations, is known for his intellectualism. Kharel served as the Minister for Communications and Information Technology for about four months. He worked as a minister for a short time from September 20, 2002 to January 19, 2002.

He became the communications minister in the government formed after the Zenji agitation on September 23 and 24. He served as a minister for four months. It is not that there was no criticism when he contested the election from the RSP immediately afterward. Kharel has carried out policy reforms in terms of digital expression and access to information, from the decision to declare journalist Suresh Rajak, who died during the agitation of RPP, as a martyr.

The coordinating role he played in the government to create an environment conducive for the elections scheduled for March 4 is still a topic of discussion in the political circles.

{{TAG_OPEN_strong_39}Soil of Lalitpur-2 and proximity to Newari civilization

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Though he was born in Dolakha, Kharel has been living in Lalitpur for the past 25 years. Living in a joint family in Bojepokhari, Mahalaxmi Municipality of Lalitpur-2, he has been assimilating the Newari civilization here.

“I have not only understood Lalitpur, but I have also soaked in the joys and sorrows of Lalitpur,” he says. According to local voters, Kharel’s personality is “approachable” and “trustworthy” as his biggest strength.

How’s the competition?

A total of 23 candidates have filed their candidacies for Lalitpur Constituency-2. Of them, 7 are independents and 16 are from different political parties. Rajendra Amatya of the Communist Party of Nepal, Prem Krishna Maharjan of the Nepali Congress and Jagdish Kharel of the Rastriya Samajwadi Party have filed their candidacies.

Although candidates of other parties are in the fray, Kharel is not less talked about.

Kharel has been projecting himself as a ‘strong’ contender. Kharel, who used to question the parliament and the government in the past, is now trying to enter the parliament to answer the question himself. His ability to raise issues effectively in the parliament and knowledge of the subject matter are trying to attract the voters of Lalitpur-2.

However, it is not easy for Kharel to be elected on March 4. Local Amatya and Maharjan are also in the fray as his rivals. Various people’s organizations of other political parties are also hurrying to the doorsteps of the people to announce their plans to get the election results in their hands.

Until yesterday, Kharel used to raise the issues of the people by sitting on the television set, now he is aiming to stand on the platform of the parliament to find answers to those questions and make policies. As the elections are approaching, the wave of people seen in Lalitpur-2 says that Jagdish Kharel is no longer just a journalist and former minister, he is becoming a reliable pillar of development and change.

Previous result

Prem Maharjan of CPN-UML was elected to the House of Representatives in the election held on November 19, 2022. Maharjan of CPN-UML got 19,834 votes while Sudin Shakya of our Nepali Party got 10,440 votes.

Buddha Ratna Maharjan of Rastriya Swatantra Party received 10,136 votes while Krishna Lal Maharjan of the Unified Socialist Party got 9,539 votes.