Balen Shah, who recently joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) as a senior leader, is scheduled to travel to Madhesh province immediately after resigning from his post as the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Shah is set to resign as mayor on January 18. The following day, on January 19, he and RSP President Rabi Lamichhane are scheduled to travel to Janakpur, according to Tapeshwar Yadav, RSP's Madhesh president.
According to Yadav, the party’s provincial committee will organize an extended meeting in Janakpur on that day. Office-bearers and members of the provincial committee, and presidents of all eight district committees have been invited to the meeting.
“We have invited the provincial office-bearers, district committee presidents, and others. The agenda includes discussions on the party’s status in Madhesh province and across all 32 electoral constituencies in the eight districts,” Yadav told Setopati on Tuesday. “We haven’t planned a big event for that day. We will listen to the plans of Balen Shah, who has just joined the party, and to directives from party President Rabi Lamichhane.”
RSP spokesperson Manish Jha confirmed the preparations for Shah’s visit to Janakpur.
Yadav said that Shah is also scheduled to visit his ancestral home in Ekdara Rural Municipality in Mahottari, which falls under Mahottari Constituency No. 3.
No family members currently live in Shah’s ancestral home, which has been rented by Ekdara Rural Municipality and is being used as an administrative building.
If Shah visits his ancestral village, a small event is being planned for discussions with local leaders and party workers, Yadav said.
"He intends to assess the ground reality during his Madhesh visit. He hasn't declared where he will contest the election from, but we hope he runs from Madhesh itself. Our base is already strong, and his arrival would make it even stronger," Yadav added.
Yadav also said that preparations are underway for a public assembly in Janakpur.
As it would be nearly impossible to meet everyone individually, the party is preparing an outline for the event where Shah and other top leaders would address the gathering, he added.
Shah has reportedly been telling people who meet him that he is preparing to contest the election from Jhapa-5.
