The UML emerged as the largest party in the Madhesh Provincial Assembly in the 2022 elections, securing 25 seats. With that numerical strength, the party coordinated with other parties to form a government and secured the key position of Speaker. Ram Chandra Mandal became the Speaker.
While the UML was still part of the federal government, Sumitra Subedi Bhandari from Jhapa was appointed as the Provincial Chief under the party’s quota and sent to Madhesh Province.
With its status as the largest party in the province, control of the Speaker’s position and the Provincial Chief, and an attractive Ministry of Physical Infrastructure in the government, the UML became powerful in Madhesh’s governing structure.
Using this strength, the party attempted to further expand its influence and ultimately take over the provincial leadership; however, in doing so, the UML has now become increasingly isolated in Madhesh. It has already lost two major positions: Provincial Chief and Speaker.
The events of November 7, the day outgoing Chief Minister Jitendra Sonal sought a vote of confidence, left the UML politically isolated.
Until the afternoon of November 8, the Nepali Congress, then the second-largest party, was still with the UML. But the Congress as well withdrew its support. With six parties aligning against it, a seven-party coalition has now formed, including the Congress, JSP Nepal, Janamat Party, CPN-Maoist Centre, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, CPN-Unified Socialist, and the Nagarik Unmukti Party.
This is the first major setback for the UML in the second term of the Provincial Assembly. According to analysts, the UML’s ambition as the largest party also contributed to its downfall. By using the Speaker and the Provincial Chief to form a government under Article 168 (3) of the Constitution, the party put itself in this vulnerable position.
On the morning of November 9, the oath-taking ceremony of Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav at Paanas Hotel in Bardibas created a political stir in Madhesh. Accused of undermining the dignity of the office, Provincial Chief Sumitra Subedi Bhandari was removed from her position at the government’s recommendation. Surendra Labh has been appointed as the new Provincial Chief.
The political turmoil is still running. Claiming that the government was formed unconstitutionally, the seven-party alliance has staged sit-ins and protests in front of the Madhesh Provincial Office. As a result, Chief Minister Saroj Yadav has barely been able to work and has repeatedly said he feels unsafe.
On November 18, the Supreme Court issued an interim order in response to a petition filed by 74 lawmakers from the seven-party coalition, effectively restricting the government to a caretaker status.
Following the coalition’s actions, former Speaker Ram Chandra Mandal, belonging to the CPN UML, was removed from office on November 19.
On November 12, 64 lawmakers from the seven parties filed an impeachment motion against Mandal for alleged misconduct. On November 19, the Provincial Assembly passed the motion with a two-thirds majority (76 signatures), removing him from his post.
To prevent the impeachment from passing, the Speaker had dismissed five lawmakers. However, a Supreme Court interim order reinstated them, and ultimately, the UML lost the Speaker’s post as well.
To save Speaker Mandal from impeachment, the UML had informally pleaded with the Congress and some other parties for support, but no one agreed. Mandal has claimed that the impeachment motion and its approval were unconstitutional, though he has announced that he will not seek legal remedy.
“The appointment and removal of a Speaker are purely a mathematical game. Registering and passing a motion against the rules is a mockery of the rule of law. Yet I will not seek legal recourse,” he wrote on social media.
Sources say he was preparing to move to the Supreme Court. But the incident in Bara has made the UML suspicious. On November 19, when the party lost the dignified post of Speaker, its top leaders faced protests.
UML leaders were supposed to visit Simara, where Gen-Z protests have continued for days. When UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel and leader Mahesh Basnet were scheduled to attend a youth awareness program in Parwanipur, clashes repeatedly broke out as Gen-Z protesters attempted to block them.
Police arrested two UML ward chairpersons and initiated action against them. The party’s top leadership was unable to visit the area, further alarming the UML.
In 2015, during the major Madhesh movement ahead of the constitution’s promulgation, UML leaders, including MPs and senior leaders, were barred from entering the region. Party Chair KP Sharma Oli’s harsh comments about Madhesh and the Madheshi people had contributed to the tension. Later, during the Mechi–Mahakali campaign, when the party entered Saptari on March 6, 2017, protests erupted. Five people were killed when police opened fire during clashes in Maleth, Saptari.
However, as relations gradually improved, the UML emerged as a major force in the recent parliamentary and local elections, winning 10 seats in the federal parliament and 25 in the provincial assembly in Madhesh.
But the latest developments have dealt a significant blow to the UML in Madhesh, raising serious questions about the party’s public image. UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai, who previously oversaw Madhesh affairs, has openly acknowledged this.
“Today, in the parliamentary arena of Madhesh Province, the UML has suffered a major setback. Serious questions have been raised about the party’s public image. The Provincial Chief has been dismissed,” he wrote on November 20. “The Chief Minister’s position is under judicial scrutiny. Politically, we are isolated. Internal contradictions within the party have intensified. Why and because of whom did this happen?”
Bhattarai further urged the leadership to expand the party’s public base, strengthen internal unity, and improve the party’s social image.
“We must take up new responsibilities in Madhesh. I request the party chair to seriously consider this,” he adds.
