The Rastriya Swatantra Party, which took many by surprise when it got established as the fourth largest in the House of Representatives elections within months of its formation, has encountered challenges in expanding its influence in Madhesh.

Though the party has launched various activities in the province composed solely of Tarai districts, its leaders said they have realised that they have to put extra effort into building its organisation in the Tarai region.

As part of its party-building campaign, the RSP conducted orientation sessions for its leaders and cadres in Madhesh Province on Saturday and Sunday.

A team of around ten central leaders, including training department chief Anil Keshari Shah, Party General Secretary Mukul Dhakal, Deputy General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti, and lawmakers Manish Jha and Santosh Pariyar and other leaders, took part in the orientation.

Despite its growing popularity and impressive poll results, the party has been struggling to gain ground in Madhesh. Swatantra Party leaders say that despite challenges galore, they have been gradually attracting Madheshi people, especially the youths and making inroads into the region.

Organisation building and expansion in Madhesh is challenging owing to factors such as adverse weather, lower levels of education and literacy in the region, as well as language barriers, said the party’s Deputy General Secretary Burlakoti.

“As a large section of people in rural areas come from poor economic backgrounds with limited access to education, most of them were often lured by the false promises of the traditional parties,” said Burlakoti. “Language has been another barrier. But we have been gradually winning their hearts and minds. We will overcome all these challenges.”

Madhesh politics revolves around the Madhesh movement, federalism, and rights and inclusion issues, especially to garner voter support. Against this backdrop, how will the newly emerged party effectively connect with Madheshi voters?

Burlakoti said the party has focused on solving the problems that directly affect the public, such as poverty, unemployment, and the prevalent problems of corruption and crimes in the province. “Our main agenda is to fight such issues. Thus, we will attract the voters with a commitment to good governance and a problem-solving attitude.”

“The traditional political parties have repeatedly betrayed the people in Madhesh.”

Talking to journalists in Rajbiraj, the district headquarters of Saptari, on Saturday, party chair Rabi Lamichhane said the malpractices in sectors such as education and health, which serve as indicators of social change, should end.

Formed about five months before the polls, the party won seven seats in the first-past-the-post elections and 13 under the proportional representation category in last year’s general election. The party registered impressive victories, defeating the candidates of the coalition involving big parties in two of the three constituencies in the April bypolls. Winning 21 seats in the first election the party contested, it emerged as the fourth-largest in the House of Representatives.

Its electoral performance in Madhesh was, however, poor. The party had fielded 26 candidates in 8 districts of Madhesh Province in the parliamentary elections in November last year, but none got elected. The party did not contest for provincial seats.

Observers say the party has failed to dig deeper into the core causes of the problems in Madhesh. As a result, it has been failing to gain ground in the province.

A political observer Chandra Kishore said the Rastriya Swatantra Party has been trying to make inroads in the region by claiming ‘they are in Madhesh’ rather than ‘they are from Madhesh’. Though it has been trying to cash in on the agenda of good governance, Kishore added, the party is also not digging deeper into the core concerns such as citizenship, inclusion, federalism, and the grievances of the Madheshi people towards the state.

“Therefore, the party continues to face difficulties in establishing a strong presence in Madhesh,” he said. “Its presence in rural areas of Madhesh is even poorer; it is gaining some ground in cities and towns, and areas nearby the highways and in the settlements of people with hill origins.”

While the party is believed to have accepted federalism only half-heartedly, it has been actively working to expand its organisation in provinces. The party’s decision not to contest the provincial election last year raised doubts among pro-federalists regarding its commitment to the new system. Leaders of the party, however, cite lack of time and preparations as the party was formed just a few months ahead of the elections. The party is as yet unsure whether it will take part in the next provincial elections.

Observers say the party’s lack of focus and silence on the issues directly connected to the Madhesh, such as federalism, identity and inclusion, has been also making the road difficult for it. Party leaders, however, reason that they are not against the federal system altogether, but want to make the provincial administrations efficient and cost-effective.

Lamichhane claimed that the party is in favour of federalism. “People have been thinking that we are against the federal system, because we have been advocating for directly elected chief ministers. But I want to clarify that we are in favour of federalism.”