Kathmandu, Feb. 16 -- 5 constituency seems to be dominating the conversation around the March 5 House of Representatives election in anticipation of the face-off between heavyweights Balendra (Balen) Shah and KP Sharma Oli, Madhesh Province is a bigger and more crucial battleground for the number of parliamentary seats it offers-including for Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

With all major political parties, national and regional forces alike, trying to win as many of the 32 seats in the province, Madhesh as a whole has emerged as the central arena of electoral competition.

Gagan Kumar Thapa, president of the country's oldest political party, the Nepali Congress, is running from Siraha-4. To show the importance the Congress attach...