Kathmandu, Jan. 5 -- Madhesh Province stands second only to Bagmati Province in the number of members to be elected to the House of Representatives under the first-past-the-post system.

Of the total 165 representatives under direct election, Bagmati Province sends 33, while Madhesh elects 32.

At 21 percent each, these two provinces have the biggest chunks of Nepal's population. Therefore, these two provinces also naturally elect an equally higher number of lawmakers under Proportional Representation votes.

This is precisely why every party contesting the election is keen to have a strong foothold in Madhesh.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) entered parliamentary politics in 2022 and emerged fourth largest in the House elections the ...