Is it Rishi Dhamala’s politics or ‘Nautanki’?

The recent activities of Rishi Dhamala, who has joined politics after a long experience of journalism, are at the center of discussion and controversy at this time. Dhamala, who is contesting the by-election to the House of Representatives from Rautahat constituency-4 on behalf of the Aam Janata Party, has launched his election campaign in a different and dramatic manner. However, a serious question has now arisen about this style – is this Rishi Dhamala’s politics or ‘Nautanki’?

Rishi Dhamala, who has always been in the news for his aggressive style of ‘interviewing’ in Nepal’s journalism, is now under scrutiny. He has been seen by many as a political ambition to file his candidacy from the Prabhu Sah-led Aam Janata Party (AJP) with a mobile election symbol. Although Dhading is a permanent home, the main reason why he chose Rautahat is the regional influence of Prabhu Sah. Dhamala is presenting himself as an anti-corruption and honest character. However, many have termed it as ‘political opportunism’ when a person who worked closely with power and power for decades suddenly came into the fray claiming to be the liberator of the people of Madhes. Despite his strategy of converting his celebrity image into votes, the question of how serious his presence is on the political scene remains unanswered.

Dhamala’s election campaign style seems more like a farce than a serious political campaign. In his videos going viral on social media, he can be seen baking jerry, sawing and digging a spade in the field. Moreover, the scene of him crying in front of the camera after seeing the condition of the voter during the door-to-door campaign has also made him the subject of trolls. Critics have called his style of playing the ’emotional card’ to win the sympathy of the electorate as a ‘pure gimmick’. Many people have not been able to believe his announcement that “I will no longer be a tourist candidate, I will settle in Rautahat”. Such ‘stunts’ shown only to win the election seem to have overshadowed the concrete plan to solve the basic problems of Madhes.

The electoral arithmetic of Rautahat constituency number 4 is very challenging for Dhamala. Dev Prasad Timilsina of Nepali Congress is an established and powerful candidate from the constituency who has won the elections for two consecutive terms. Similarly, Dhamala will have to compete with the old leaders of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and Ram Kumar Bhattarai of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and Ramji Sah of the CPN-UML. The psychology of the voters here and the party’s grip is very old and strong. In such a situation, Dhamala neither has a strong local organization nor does he have long experience of geography here. He is completely relying on Prabhu Shah’s personal credentials and his own media manipulation. It is an impossible challenge for Dhamala to defeat the established parties only by going ‘viral’ or ‘shedding tears’.

The issues of fertilizer, irrigation, education and health raised by Dhamala are the real problems of Rautahat. However, his campaign does not reveal what policy plans he has to address these issues. Instead, he is busy doing new stunts to be the ‘highlight’ as always. Although he calls himself an “anti-corruption”, his political affiliations and past connections call into question his sanity. The presence of young candidates like Ganesh Poudel of the RSP may not make Dhamala the first priority for the voters looking for a new one. His behavior and agenda have not been able to prove whether he is just making the election field a means to earn publicity or he has really come for the change of Rautahat.

Finally,

Rishi Dhamala’s candidacy and his campaign style have exposed the growing “cheap populism” in Nepal’s electoral system. Acting in front of the camera and winning the hearts of the people in real politics are two different things. If Dhamala can convert this so-called ‘gimmick’ into votes, it will be considered his success, otherwise it will be reduced to a forgettable election stunt. Whether the people of Rautahat believe in his ‘tears’ or in the ‘organization and agenda’ of the old parties, the decision will be clear in the voting on March 4. But this time, Dhamala has turned the election of Rautahat into a ‘comedy-oriented drama’.