Nepali team including Erika leaving for Turkey to play in Karate One Premier League

Dharan Sub-metropolitan City Mayor Hark Sampang has resigned. Sampang, who is also the Chairman of the Shram Sanskriti Party, has resigned to prepare for the upcoming elections. Deputy Mayor Aindra Bikram Begha will be the acting mayor of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City.

 

Source: Aryan Dhimal /onlinekhabar

In Dharan, the mornings are already marked by political discussions, even when neighbouring Itahari and Biratnagar remain quiet. At the break of day, the streets resonate with Harka Sampang’s own voice singing, “Shram garau Nepali ho, bhokai marne din aaiskyo’, translated as “Let’s work, Nepalis; the days of starving are here.” For locals, the tune signals that the Shram Sanskriti Party’s chair has arrived. Party leaders and workers fan out, going door-to-door, while the familiar melody draws voters to the streets.

 

At 11am on Friday at Durga Chowk in ward 9 of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City, the upbeat song blared as workers danced in unison, and Sampang stepped out, greeting residents with folded hands. Three years ago, during his first mayoral bid, he toured the same alleys alone, a handheld microphone in one hand, delivering speeches on a motorcycle. This time, the motorcycle is still part of his campaign, but the crowds are larger and the atmosphere electric. Wherever he appears, onlookers gather.

 

Back then, few paid attention. Now, the moment his modern campaign song plays, people emerge from every household. Wearing a black tracksuit and a T-shirt that reads “Harka Sampang – A Revolution”, he moves from home to home, greeting voters and handing out pamphlets outlining his agendas: democracy, federalism, and a directly elected executive presidency.

 

 

 Post Photo

At a small grocery shop in Chandani Chowk, Sampang urges voters to “vote for the soil this time.” Forty-two-year-old Amrit Rai smiles at this request, taking the pamphlet. A woman waiting on a scooter catches his attention and Sampang greets her with a smile and slips her a leaflet, urging the schoolteacher to back his party.

 

Onlookers like Hema Limbu, 31, are impressed. “No other party leaders have been on the ground yet. He is already walking the streets asking for votes,” she said. “Harka will get a seat from Sunsari-1.”

 

At Aapgachhi Chowk, Sampang’s microphone echoes slogans: “Where should the vote go?” Cadres respond, “To the soil.” The election symbol of the party is two hands holding soil. His team not only asks for votes; they carry sacks and clean the streets, turning the campaign into a mix of activism and canvassing.

 

Usha Limbu, 50, from Bhanu Smriti Chowk, recalls supporting Sampang in an earlier movement. “He would win even without this effort,” she said. “But we walk door-to-door to clean neighbourhoods.” She adds that she hopes his next goal will be the prime ministership.

 

Sampang pastes the party’s election symbol in another house and requests support from 65-year-old Tilma Khatun. After the team leaves, she admits to the Post that she does not even have a citizenship certificate.

 

As the campaign’s pace quickens, Sampang insists on entering every home. At a roadside banana stall, he hands a pamphlet to Mahiman Basnet, an elderly seller. Basnet refuses, saying he already has one. Sampang insists, eventually placing it in a carton box, which Basnet discards. “He will win the election,” Basnet later remarks, “but he is stubborn.”

 

 

 Post Photo

Throughout the canvassing, Sampang rarely directly asks for votes. Instead, he emphasises the election symbol of his party. The Shram Sanskriti Party was founded by Sampang after the Gen Z movement.

 

There were rumours that he might contest outside Dharan, even suggesting a challenge to UML chair KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa–5. But Sampang has confirmed his focus remains on Sunsari–1. “I am not considering any other constituency. In Jhapa–5, our candidate Samir Tamang is capable of taking on the heavyweights,” he said. Sampang has yet to resign from his post as mayor.

 

At a home in Pashupati Chowk, 49-year-old Amar Gurung greets Sampang and accepts campaign materials. Gurung says no other candidate has visited him. “He has done good work. He will win here,” said Gurung, citing that he solved the city’s water crisis.

 

Just three years ago, residents had to walk two to three kilometres for water and often relied on water tankers five to six times a month. Sampang’s pledge of free drinking water helped secure his mayoral victory. “Other leaders made promises they never kept,” says 68-year-old Radhe Karki.

“He delivered.”

 

As mayor, Sampang did not confine himself to office work. He initiated a labour campaign, personally carrying stones every Saturday. “My hands used to get blisters,” he recalled. “I went to Singha Durbar countless times asking for water. We used local resources when no support came our way.”

 

After 99 days of voluntary labour, water was brought to Dharan from the Kokaha stream, 40 kilometres away, through the forests of Barahakshetra.

 

 

 Post Photo

He also pushed for an airport in Dharan but failed to secure support from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. The government argued that Biratnagar airport, 55 kilometres away, was sufficient. Still, voters admire his initiative. “He tried hard for us,” says street vendor Mani Kumar Raut, 52.

 

Not all are convinced. Some, like Ganga Maya Karki, 56, claim Sampang favours Janajati communities, while Manish Mahara from Dharan-15 says the party prioritises Rai and Limbu voters. Others argue that his achievements speak for themselves.

 

Younger voters like 24-year-old Vicky Pariyar highlight job concerns. “I returned from Qatar, but I need opportunities here. I like his ideas, but local problems remain unresolved,” he says.

 

Before Sampang, Sunsari–1 was considered a UML stronghold. The constituency has seen victories by leaders such as Manmohan Adhikari, Leela Shrestha Subba, and poet Kunta Sharma. In 2022, Ashok Rai of the then Janata Samajbadi Party won with UML support. This time, Sampang’s candidacy has shaken UML, Nepali Congress, and the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

 

RSP has yet to launch visible activity. UML and Congress are still finalising candidates. Meanwhile, Sampang distributes party tickets nationwide from a Dharan tea shop, handwritten slips bearing his signature. On Friday, he handed a ticket for Okhaldhunga to Uddhav Kumar Rai.

 

Aryan Rai, party general secretary, notes that aspirants now travel to Dharan instead of Kathmandu to collect tickets. “We’ve broken the tradition of everything happening in Kathmandu,” he says. Sampang, once with the nationalist Nepal Party and the Mongol National Organisation, plans for his party to contest across the country, aiming to establish a national party.

 

Sunsari–1 includes 20 wards of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City, five wards of Barahakshetra Municipality, and two wards of Ramdhuni Municipality, with 150,232 registered voters. Sampang’s campaign is intensifying across the region.

 

Hark Sampang's Festival

Dharan Sub-metropolitan City Mayor Hark Sampang is constructing the Shram Sanskriti Park and the Jestha Nagarik Park through the Shramdan campaign.

Sampang has brought Kokah water to Dharan by pulling a 42-kilometer forest road in 98 days, and this project has received support from home and abroad.

Sampang has formed the Shram Sanskriti Party and is forming committees in more than 40 districts and is building an organization and preparing for the upcoming elections.

24 Pus, Dharan. It seems like preparations for a social festival are underway.

 

Looking at the atmosphere, it seems that there is joy in going out for a forest feast, or preparations are being made to go to a festival.

 

The cold is increasing in Pus. But on Saturday, the morning cold did not stop people from gathering at Buddha Chowk in Dharan. Around 8:30 in the morning, two large buses gathered to fill up.

 

A call was made through a hand microphone - let's all get on the bus.

 

They have shovels, spades and sables. And the song is sung –

Ma ta lata din bhari kam garne

Timi batha din bhari gaf garne

Para milena jetha

para milena

 

Those enjoying the song repeatedly chanted slogans – Shramdan: Zindabad!

 

After a 7-kilometer bus ride from Buddha Chowk, which is on the border of Dharan Sub-metropolitan Cities-18 and 19, they reached the Shram Sanskriti Park.

 

Dharan Mayor Hark Sampang got off the bus that had stopped near the park. He started dancing, and others helped him dance.

 

An appeal was made for lunch. Chiura and dalmot were distributed along with tea. The dance and song continued. After eating lunch, Mayor Sampang urged the participants to listen to him –

 

‘We should know why we gathered, I will only speak for two minutes,’ he said, calming everyone down, ‘Now Shramdan will not be limited to Dharan, it will have to be spread all over Nepal. It has been more than a month since I was able to do Shramdan.’

 

In short, Mayor Sampang informed about the senior citizen park that is being built along with the Shram Sanskriti Park. ‘We all get old. The elderly do not die together, we die one after the other, we are alone,' he said, 'at that time we need a friend, a friend is medicine.'

 

He informed that the Senior Citizen Park is being built through Shramdan. 'Today, the work of laying nets in the Senior Citizen Park, stones have to be carried,' he said, 'there is also dancing and singing, we have to work while having fun. It does not mean that we have to bend our backs and bend our legs. We have to do everything for the country.'

 

Now the Shramdan has begun.

 

The song kept playing. The work of carrying stones, filling nets, and putting stones continued while dancing and having fun.

 

Some leaders, including Sampang, have handheld microphones on their shoulders. They occasionally inform about the work to be done. The whole day passed like this.

 

It was time for lunch in the late afternoon. ‘It had been a few days, only dal and bhat were served, today meat is also being arranged,’ said Kamala Limbu, who has been arranging food for the labor campaign, ‘Today there are more than five hundred labor donors.’ According to her, when donors are found, meat is arranged for those who donate labor, otherwise it is dal and bhat.

 

But so far, support has been coming from somewhere or other for the lunch for those who donate labor. ‘Our labor campaign has been receiving support from home and abroad, that is why we have done so much work,’ says Prasad Rai, who has been supporting Sampang.

 

Sampang has set a goal of building a senior citizen park, estimated to cost more than 30 million through donor support and labor donations. ‘It is better to create an environment where people can be healthy without having to go to the hospital than to open a hospital,’ says Sampang. ‘The senior citizen park will be a kind of clinic, a friend of the elderly.’

 

Those who are willing are donating labor almost every day. But on Saturdays, the labor campaign is held with great importance. Mayor Sampang himself has been providing information about the labor campaign on social media Facebook.

 

Under the leadership of Mayor Sampang, a labor culture park has been built next to the under-construction Senior Citizen Park through the Shramdan campaign. Where many statues and symbols reflecting the civilization of the people of Dharan and Dharan have been built.

 

‘Tourists have started coming to this park from different parts of the country and even abroad,’ says Pradeep Rai, who is assigned to the management of the labor culture park, ‘up to five thousand people visit the park daily.’

 

A fee of Rs 35 is required to enter the park. ‘Not only Dharan, but my claim is that it has become a park that attracts the most tourists in the east,’ says Mayor Sampang. He plans to work through the Shramdan campaign to bring in even more tourists.

Mayor Sampang, who calls Shramdan a grand campaign, has an increasing scope of work in his diary. Sampang, who is simultaneously engaged in activities such as awareness, vigilance, advocacy, construction, and governance (the role of the mayor), has made a weekly calendar.

 

He considers Tuesday as ‘public opinion day’ and spends this day advocating for the directly elected executive.

 

He calls Thursday ‘cleaning day’. After being elected as mayor, he spends this day cleaning public structures.

 

He calls Friday ‘reform day’. He runs a campaign against drugs. He has been saying, ‘I will not let the youth engage in wrongdoing, I will reform them.’

Saturday is called ‘work day’, says Sampang.

 Mayor Sampang has distinguished himself by involving citizens in all these campaigns. ‘When he won by running as an independent candidate, he had no organization or cadres,’ says Prasad Rai, a close associate of his, ‘Today, millions of people have supported him. This is the success of the vision.’

 

The joy of providing water

 

Locals say that the number of people supporting Hark Sampang is growing as he has brought Kokah water to Dharan in the same style as the construction of the Senior Citizen Park. ‘He had asked for votes saying that he would provide water if the mayor wins. He won, and he also brought water,’ says Manoji Chaudhary of Dharan-2, ‘After fulfilling what he said, my trust has increased.’

 

In Chaudhary’s understanding, the main reason for the public’s attraction to Hark is his struggle. ‘The mayor of such a big city is hanging from a cliff like that and pulling pipes. He has lived in the forest, worked with the common people,’ he says, ‘People have come to believe that we should support a person who struggles like this.’

 

A similar understanding like Chaudhary’s seems to be almost common in Dharan. ‘There used to be a problem with water, now the river has brought it here,’ says local Maiya Kattel, ‘We have also been supporting the mayor who has caused us so much trouble.’

 

Sampang himself admits that the project to bring water from Kokah is the main reason why citizens inside and outside Dharan trust him. ‘I have fought the water mafia alone and provided water to the people of Dharan,’ he says, ‘It takes three days to reach the source of Kokah from here, you have to walk along the steep path. If you see the suffering there, you will cry.’

 

Hark cried when he pulled a pipe through a 42-kilometer forest path and brought water in 98 days. When he saw the video/picture of him crying with joy when the water came, his astonishment increased even more.

 

According to Sampang, Kokah water reached Dharan thanks to the support from various countries and the labor of the general public. After this project, not only did Hark’s attraction increase, but his supporters also increased. If that had not happened, Kokah water would have been shut off by now.

 

Because the water pipe also burned when the forest caught fire. But the burned pipe was replaced, the pipe was filled with Shramdan. The Labor Culture Park was also damaged by the rain flood. But it was rebuilt immediately.

 

After winning the mayoral election, Sampang, who is happy to see the support he has received for his campaigns, is running campaigns ranging from opening industries for the people of Dharan to planting fruits for the forest animals. He is trying to take the turmeric industry called 'Maya Dharane' to the world.

 

The municipality also has investment in the turmeric industry. 'Ward 20 of Dharan produces a lot of turmeric, and turmeric from here used to be exported to India,' says Prasad Rai, chairman of the turmeric industry, 'now the farmers are happy after opening this industry.' According to him, the turnover of the turmeric industry has crossed crores.

 

Another big project taken forward by Mayor Sampang, who considers the municipality's government budget and projects as regular work, is the construction of a giant statue of Sumnima-Paruhang. He has announced that he will not spend the municipality's money on this project either.

 

'The statue of Sumniama-Paruhang is being built here, I will not spend the municipality's money on that either,' says Sampang, 'Government money should be spent on places in Rolpa-Rukum, where children still ride Tuin to go to school.'

 

Be it when he ran as an independent candidate to win the mayoral race, or after winning the mayoral race, Hark Sampang, who won support for the proposal to build Dharan through the Shramdan campaign, has been insisting for a few months that he will become the country's Prime Minister.

 

The campaign to make Hark the Prime Minister is not hidden in the activities going on in Dharan, such as on social media. Those who go to the Shramdan are also doing things like raising slogans praising Hark and asking for votes with mud symbols.

 

And, Hark's supporters consider this natural. 'I am no longer affiliated with his party. But based on the way the labor donation campaign has brought about change in Dharan, it is everyone's responsibility to support Hark Sampang when he becomes the Prime Minister,' says Bijan Rai of Itahari, who has been participating in the labor donation.

 

Also read: 'I will run a labor campaign across Nepal after becoming the Prime Minister'

 

Although Rai said that he has not joined a party, Mayor Sampang has transformed the labor donation campaign he has been running in Dharan into a party.

 

His wishes and plans can be understood from the conditions and arguments such as being a leading labor donor rather than a leader-worker in the Labor Culture Party formed under his leadership, not giving tickets to those who do not donate labor, and running a labor campaign across the country if he becomes the Prime Minister.

 

It can also be said that by running the labor donation campaign in Dharan, Hark Sampang was preparing the ground for his entry into politics. He was probably planning to become a candidate for parliament in 2084.

 

But when the Genji movement on 23-24 Bhadra overthrew the government, a mid-term election was announced in February 2082. Such an unexpected turn of events forced him to revise his roadmap.

 

Three preparations at once

 

Although the Labor Culture Party was formed after the election date was announced, Sampang has already left other parties behind by publishing its manifesto on November 16. He is also ahead in election activities.

 

While the doubts about the election remained among the old parties and the election activities among the new forces had not yet begun, Hark Sampang had already started the meeting. Sampang, who entered party politics by registering his party registration application with the Election Commission on October 12, held his first meeting on October 17.

 

The first meeting held in Letang, Morang, saw an unexpected turnout. The presence of Hark in Letang that day cheered him up and excited his supporters in other areas.

 

According to General Secretary Aren Rai, meetings like the one in Letang are being held in other areas as well. ‘Our meetings have ended in all the districts of Province One. Currently, meetings are being held in western Nepal,’ he says.

 

Apart from Dharan, meetings have been held in Morang, Jhapa, Khotang, Panchthar, Tehrathum, Okhaldhunga, Solukhambu and other districts to attract the attention of other party leaders. Sampang himself had visited these districts.

 

Even after his return, those affiliated with the Shram Sanskriti Party are still active. ‘Committees have been formed in all districts of Province No. 1. Work is being organized by the committee,’ says General Secretary Rai.

 

This party is using Shramdan as an election campaign. Repairing, constructing and cleaning public structures like roads, schools, and squares have become a regular task for Hark supporters.

 

However, Chairman Sampang urges not to associate Shramdan with politics as it is a campaign for Shramdan. ‘I have run the labor culture as a campaign,’ says Sampang, ‘Today millions have supported me, even if there is no one tomorrow, I will not leave my path.’

 

Central member Meena Singak, who is coming from all over the country to support the campaign to build a country through labor donation, says. According to her, the campaign is being run by forming committees in more than 40 districts of Nepal. Meetings have also been held in districts other than Koshi Province, where Sampang has a relatively greater attraction.

 

Meetings have been held in Parsa, Chitwan, Makawanpur, Kavre, Kathmandu and Butwal in the presence of Hark Sampang. Committees are also being formed in exile. According to the records of this party, work is being done to support the party by forming committees in Qatar, Malaysia, Dubai, Kuwait, America, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Mauritius.

 

In other words, Hark Sampang is doing three things at once – expanding labor culture, building an organization and preparing for elections.

 

All these three tasks are being carried out in a hurry. ‘It has not even been three months since the party was formed, the elections are coming, there is a lot of work to be done,’ says a leader, ‘the committee members have not been finalized, there is pressure to choose a good candidate.’

 

According to him, the central committee itself remains to be completed. Sampang is planning to increase the central committee, which currently has 62 members. But before the committee is completed, the number of office bearers has also started to decrease.

 

The Shram Sanskriti Party, which was registered with Sampang as its president, had three vice presidents – Loknath Chudal, Devraj Lama and Dr. Mitra Pariyar. Shortly after becoming the vice president, Lama was arrested in an old political case. As soon as he was arrested, President Sampang suspended him, asking him to cooperate in the investigation. He had a public disagreement with another vice president, Pariyar, and now Pariyar has joined the NCP and become a candidate on the proportional side.

 

Currently, only Chudal remains as vice-president in Sampang's party, while general secretary Aren Rai, joint general secretary Samir Tamang, secretary Indira Rai, treasurer Samita Rai, joint treasurer Jiten Rai and spokesperson Satya Ghale are present. Since the party office bearers have yet to be established, it is no secret that Sampang alone has to shoulder the burden of organizational work.

 

However, Sampang has been claiming to build a party with the power to bring a majority in the upcoming elections. 'We have submitted the names of 110 people for the proportional representation side,' says general secretary Rai, 'Preparations are being made to field candidates in all 165 constituencies for the direct side as well.'

 

Hark Sampang is also conducting a survey on direct candidates through social media. They are asking for opinions by asking questions like 'Who is the right person to nominate? What kind of representative would you choose?'

 

Old preparations

 

Although Sampang seems to be in a hurry to prepare for the mid-term elections now, looking at the 44 months since he was elected mayor, he had planned his entry into politics.

 

He had also made his role clear during the Genji movement. He tried to show himself apart by pointing out the mistakes of both the old and new forces. In the process, he even put forward his ideas as the Prime Minister.

 

In an interview with Online News, Sampang said that he has been taking steps with a long-term plan through activities like the Labor Culture Park and Labor Campaign. He had given a strong message of entering party politics during the by-election held in 2081 Baisakh.

 

Due to the death of Subash Nembang, Sampang had included the identity-based forces and made Dakendra Singh Thegim the candidate in the by-election held in Ilam-2. Although Suhang Nembang of the UML won the by-election, Thegim brought competitive votes.

 

Hark Sampang declared his victory after Thegim received twice as many votes as Milan Limbu of the Ravi Lamichhane-led Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Eight months later, Sampang fielded candidates for the local by-elections. Sampang came to Kirtipur to campaign for the candidate he supported.

 

He has been making his position public in national political developments. He is still speaking out against the US aid project MCC. He became more vocal during the naming of Koshi Province.

 

His support for the name Koshi, which was agreed upon by the top leaders of the main parties, is not visible. Although he himself did not protest. But he did not agree either.

 

Later, he made his message public by removing the pictures of President Ram Chandra Poudel and the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda from his office. Sampang had put a picture of Yalambar in the mayor's office.

 

According to locals who understand him, Hark has been preparing himself as a leader for a decade and a half, not only after being elected mayor. Born/raised in Khotang, he has been continuously involved in social campaigns since 2068 BS after returning from foreign employment.

 

He has formed groups with many names to be active in social campaigns. Hark, who goes by the nickname 'Kranti', still has 'A Revolution' behind his name on his Facebook account.

 

While struggling in Dharan, he formed groups like the National Unity Network, the Indigenous Peoples Unity Network, and the General Unity Campaign. Tempo businessman Sampang himself had once opened the Tempo Unity Association.

 

But the event that made many people know Hark was the campaign against the municipality's increased taxes. He was at the forefront of that movement in 2068 BS.

 

After that, he never sat still. He started participating in every movement based on rights. From the movement demanding a stop to stone and gravel excavation to the hanging of telephone wires, Hark protested.

 

Sometimes he fought against the corruption of the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences and sometimes he protested against the slowness of government agencies. When he raised his voice about the drinking water problem, he was arrested. Once he had to spend 15 days in detention.

 

But he did not lose courage. The by-election held in 2076 BS turned out to be a watershed for him. In the by-election held after the death of the then mayor Tara Subba, Hark became a candidate for the post of mayor. When the competition was between the Congress and the Communists, Hark got a total of 422 votes.

 

But Hark Sampang announced – I will contest the next election.

 

Without saying that, he became an independent candidate in the elections held in Baisakh 2079. With the support of the five-party alliance, Kishor Rai of the Congress and Manju Bhandari of the UML got 16,069 votes and won the mayoral election with 20,821 votes.

 

Sampang's victory was compared to his struggle and the weaknesses of the major parties. But he is using it as a strong stepping stone to move forward. Because Sampang's new destination has become – Singha Durbar.

 

But before entering Singha Durbar, Hark will have to gather winning votes in favor of himself and his candidates. Which is not an easy task.

 

It will not be easy to defeat Hark himself. UML has a strong organizational structure in Sunsari-1, which includes 5 wards of Barah Kshetra Municipality and 2 wards of Ramdhuni Nagar, including Dharan Sub-metropolitan City. Except for the 2064 elections, UML candidates have always won from here.

 

Manmohan Adhikari won in 2048 BS. Adhikari became the first communist prime minister. Leela Shrestha won in the mid-term elections of 2051 BS and Kunta Sharma in 2056 BS. Kiran Kumar Rai of the Maoists won in 2064 BS, while Krishna Kumar Rai of the UML won in 2070 BS and Jayakumar Rai of the UML also won in 2074 BS.

 

Ashok Rai won in the 2079 BS elections with the support of the UML. Ashok Rai is a leader from the UML background.

 

Local leaders of the Sampang-led party, however, argue that the changing political situation should not be analyzed using the old standards. ‘Who won yesterday is a different matter, now the people are all in favor of Sampang,’ say the leaders.

 

Even when talking to locals, it is easy to guess that public opinion in Dharan could change. (We will publish a separate on-site report soon) But they seem to have some common concerns – the new ones not getting along, Hark’s individualistic style and the possibility of a grand alliance between the old ones.

 

And, the old forces are openly challenging Sampang. ‘Hark Sampang’s popularity has been seen in the media, but it is not like that in Dharan,’ says Nepali Communist Party leader Jeevan Rai, ‘You can increase your votes, but it does not seem that Hark Sampang will bring the winning votes.’

 

He says that Sampang will not get the support of the people because he is running for MP, leaving the promises he made to win the mayoral race unfulfilled.

 

However, they agree that he will give a good push to the old parties, including the UML. ‘What our candidate will be like will mean a lot,’ said a local UML leader. ‘We must not forget that Hark Sampang has an attraction among the people even though our organization is strong.’

 Aryan Dhimal

onlinekhabar