When the constitution was enacted in 2015, Nepal had dozens of political parties representing diverse castes, classes, languages, cultures, and regions. Many of these parties had mushroomed in the decade between the People’s Movement of 2005–06 and the promulgation of the constitution, claiming to speak for the “voiceless.” Today, many have vanished, while those that remain struggle to stay relevant.
The parties that rose to prominence through people’s movements and street protests gradually abandoned their agendas in the pursuit of power. This eroded public trust and weakened their organizational strength. In the 2017 elections, the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum led by Upendra Yadav and the Rastriya Janata Party led by Mahantha Thakur formed an alliance and emerged as a decisive force in both the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies. But the coalition soon collapsed under the weight of internal power struggles, and by the 2022 elections, both were compelled to seek alliances with larger parties just to field candidates.
In the 2017 House of Representatives elections, the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) was the largest in Madhes, winning 10 seats. By 2022, its tally had dropped to six, while the CPN-UML, which had secured only two seats in 2017, rose to nine. The Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) also declined sharply, from nine seats to three. The Nepali Congress, meanwhile, slightly improved its standing from six to seven, becoming the second strongest party in the region.
The CPN (Maoist Center), which had won five Madhes seats in 2017, was reduced to one in 2022. The newly formed CPN (Unified Socialist) gained two seats, while the Janmat Party, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional Madhesi parties—won one seat. Other smaller parties collectively secured three.
Upendra Yadav, once celebrated for elevating Madhes politics, won Saptari-2 in 2017 with a huge margin and went on to lead federal ministries five times. But many in the Madhesi community now accuse him of prioritizing power over their demands. “The people now see repeated ministerial stints with forces that suppressed Madhes as betrayal,” said Arun Jha, a Janakpur-based youth leader active in the Madhes movement. “Personal interests, greed for power, and arrogance have sunk the parties here.” In 2022, Upendra Yadav lost his Saptari seat to CK Raut of the Janmat Party but managed a comeback from Bara-2 with Congress and Maoist backing.
Other prominent leaders also suffered setbacks. Rajendra Mahato, who once defeated veteran Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi in Dhanusha-3, lost heavily in 2022 after contesting from Sarlahi-2. Active in politics since 1990 through the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, Mahato has served multiple terms as lawmaker and minister.
“The colonial mindset of big parties is behind the weakening of Madhesi parties,” said JSP whip Ram Ashish Yadav. “Greed, fear, intimidation, and the politics of protection prevent small parties from standing tall. Those aligned with big parties escape accountability, while those in small parties face prosecution. This compulsion has frustrated both the spirit of the constitution and the rights of the people.”
Madhes-based parties have also lost ground at the provincial level. In the first Madhes Provincial Assembly (2017), JSP held 30 of 107 seats, the largest share. By 2022, this dropped to 19. The UML increased its tally from 21 to 25, while Nepali Congress rose from 19 to 22. The LSP fell from 25 to nine, and the Maoist Center also lost its seats in Madhes. New entrants like the CPN-Unified Socialist and Janmat Party together secured 13 seats. Three others—Nepal Federal Socialist Party, RPP, and Nagarik Unmukti Party—entered through proportional representation winning a seat each.
In the federal parliament, Madhes-based parties are opposing the government’s new Land Bill, calling it anti-Madhes. Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation, Balram Adhikari, presented the bill to amend several laws, which passed with majority support. JSP chair Upendra Yadav denounced it as “a design to turn Madhes into a desert,” citing groundwater depletion and Chure destruction. The Rastriya Mukti Party, led by Rajendra Mahato, also opposed it. General Secretary Anil Mahaseth alleged it served land mafias under the guise of helping squatters.
Amid their decline, seven Madhesi parties have recently formed the Federal Democratic Front to safeguard their political existence and raise Madhesi issues collectively. The alliance includes the Janmat Party, JSP Nepal, LSP Nepal, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Rastriya Mukti Party, Janmat Pragatisheel Party, and Tamalopa. “We’ve learned hard lessons from disunity,” said JSP spokesperson Manish Suman. “This front will emerge as a force.”
Meanwhile, Madhes politics has once again been shaken by renewed investigations into the 2007 Gaur massacre, which killed 27 people during a clash between the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum led by Upendra Yadav and the Maoist supporters. On April 20, 2025, police began investigating 130 accused, including Yadav. DIG Uma Prasad Chaturbedi confirmed the probe, noting that death certificates of 11 accused were under verification.
The case resurfaced after a 2022 Supreme Court order responding to a writ filed by victims demanding their constitutional right to redress. JSP leaders have dismissed the move as political revenge. “If the state has evidence, prove it. If not, Madhes will oppose such conspiracies,” said JSP leader Jitendra Yadav.
Despite multiple inquiries by the National Human Rights Commission and other bodies, official reports on the incident remain unpublished. Rights groups have criticized the government’s failure to deliver justice, while survivors continue to demand accountability nearly two decades later.
