Janakpur, Jan. 7 -- After more than three decades of contesting parliamentary elections-winning some and losing others-veteran Madheshi leader Mahantha Thakur is now charting a new course towards the National Assembly.

Thakur, 82, has been fielded as a candidate from Madhesh Province under an electoral alliance of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Madhesh-based parties-the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal (LSP-N) and the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal (JSP-N).

The nomination process has taken place while the two Madhesh-based parties themselves are in the unification process.

Thakur, who entered politics as a student, had told voters during the 2022 general election in Mahottari-3 that it would be his "last" parliamentary race. Having...