As the country prepares for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5 next year, there is growing optimism and activity in Koshi Province, with political activists and voters alike showing renewed enthusiasm.

By Friday, a total of 139 parties, including 21 new political forces, had registered with the Election Commission to contest the parliamentary elections.

In various districts of Koshi, party leaders, activists and ordinary citizens appear energised, signalling a significant shift in political mood—even among cadres of the once election-averse CPN-UML.

Despite previously rejecting the legitimacy of the interim government formed after the ‘controversial’ dissolution of the House, UML activists are now preparing to take part in the polls—at least in some areas.

In Jhapa, the home district of UML chairperson KP Sharma Oli, local leaders say their members feel compelled to participate in the general election. According to Koshish Ghimire, UML chairman of ward 3 in Birtamod Municipality, the electoral environment is already set. “There is no question of the party not contesting. The morale of our cadres is high,” he said.

In rural areas too, political activity is ramping up. “We are in a state of readiness for elections. We just await the centre’s direction," said Dwarika Khatiwada, Nepali Congress chairman of Jhapa’s Gaurigunj Rural Municipality Ward 2.

Local leaders of the Nepali Communist Party, which was formed recently following a merger between over a dozen leftist outfits, are similarly enthusiastic about the upcoming polls.

“The entire party, from top to bottom, is united and ready for the election. The only way forward for the country now is through a fresh mandate," said Gopi Rijal, a local politician in Mechinagar Municipality-2.

In districts such as Taplejung, the focus seems more on party conventions than on the snap general election. “As the issue of reinstating parliament has resurfaced, the party leadership is currently focused on the general convention. There is not much interest in the election," said UML district secretary Santosh Chamling.

Congress district chairman Gajendra Tumyahang also appears more concerned about the party’s upcoming convention than the polls. Meanwhile, cadres of the Nepali Communist Party are waiting for directives from the central leadership, as the party’s district structure has yet to be finalised. District in-charge Khel Prasad Budhakshetri said, “We must eventually go to the polls. All parties have already been registered with the Election Commission, so the environment will gradually build.”

The Shram Sanskriti Party, led by Harka Sampang, which is working to build a new political organisation, has been active and assertive in its expansion drive. Various identity-based groups in the district are also holding internal dialogues with their eye on the elections.

Election fever is palpable on the roads as well as household courtyards in Panchthar district. New groups that emerged after the Gen Z movement have launched campaigns aimed at dismantling the traditional party structures.

“Our grassroots structures are ready for the elections, but the uncertainty at the central level—whether there will be a regular or special general convention—has affected preparations," said Congress district president Rupnarayan Jabegu.

According to UML Panchthar chair Bishnu Prasad Sapkota, preparations are underway to improve results down to the village level alongside the selection of general convention representatives. “We will engage even more intensively in the elections after the general convention,” said Sapkota. “We must take part in the polls; avoiding them is not an option.”

The Nepali Communist Party, composed mainly of the erstwhile CPN (Maoist Centre) and the CPN (Unified Socialist), is currently focused on its unity campaign across districts. “After the unification is concluded, we will formally launch our election campaign and then concentrate on the House of Representatives polls," said Panchthar coordinator Bishal Rasaili.

Similarly, the Rastriya Swatantra Party has begun collecting applications for proportional representation candidates in Panchthar. The Shram Sanskriti Party has intensified its outreach in the hill districts. The Ujyalo Nepal Party has also accelerated its organisational expansion. However, a large section of identity-based fronts—Limbuwan activists and the Janata Samajbadi Party’s local cadres—remain undecided about which party to join.

A wave of entry into new parties is visible across Koshi Province. Many leaders have started shifting away from old parties to emerging political forces. As various Gen Z groups begin registering as separate parties with the Election Commission, many young people in Panchthar appear uncertain.

Groups such as Gen Z United, Paribartan Group and Panchthar Gen Z are engaged in internal discussions. “Gen Z must unite to honour our martyrs and uphold the spirit of the movement, but the environment needed to bring everyone together has yet to emerge," said Rakesh Rai, coordinator of the Gen Z United.

In Biratnagar, the provincial headquarters of Koshi, enthusiasm among voters appears to outpace that of many party workers. Sixty-year-old Mohammad Basir Miya from Biratnagar Metropolis-1—a longtime supporter of the Congress—said the recent Gen Z movement delivered a heavy blow to the established parties. “Now people have a chance to force parties to improve. What happens after that, nobody knows.”

Rewanti Devi Mandal, a resident of the nearby Katahari Rural Municipality, knows that the House election is in the offing. “We are ready to vote, but are the leaders ready to contest?” she asked.

Some in the Nepali Congress, however, worry that internal divisions and uncertainties about whether to contest under the old party banner or a reconstituted one affect activists’ motivation.

“Although the party is registered, I hardly see the enthusiasm among leaders and workers. We still don’t have clarity on the agenda we will present to voters,” admitted the party’s Biratnagar metropolitan committee chairman Deepak Chapagain.

The UML and the Nepali Communist Party in Morang also expressed readiness for the federal elections. “If the government creates the right environment—as the prime minister has committed to—we will enter the electoral fray," said Somraj Thapa, secretary of the UML’s Biratnagar metropolitan committee.

Yet not all districts in Koshi display equal political readiness. In remote, hill areas like Khotang, many parties remain preoccupied with internal matters than election campaigning. The local leadership of the Congress is reportedly paralysed, following the suspension of their district chairperson—leaving the party organisationally ‘inert’. “Organisational work is almost at a standstill," admitted one party insider.

The UML, despite repeatedly claiming that “there is no election-friendly environment”, appears focused on strengthening its organisation. District in-charge Bishal Bhattarai said leaders and cadres were “on alert”, ready to act according to directives from the party’s central leadership.

The momentum for elections comes even as major political issues remain unresolved. The reinstatement of the dissolved House of Representatives, as demanded by the UML, is currently sub judice in the Supreme Court. The party’s petition is for the court to annul the decisions made under the interim government, as well as the appointment of Prime Minister Sushila Karki, on grounds of constitutional violation.

Laxmi Gautam in Panchthar and Dambar Singh Rai in Khotang contributed to this report.