#rabimishra

Upendra Yadav ji is lamenting with his hand on his forehead—"Madhesh stopped recognizing me while I only said 'I'!" Well, Yadav ji! As long as you forget the 'Madheshi people' and only worship 'I' and 'my chair', the public will gift you a 'zero' in the ballot box, not votes. You established yourself on the foundation of the Madhesh movement in such a way that whether the party splits or unites, you were always the 'Boss' (Thekedarsap). But this time, shrinking to just 15,000 votes against Amarkant Chaudhary in Saptari 3, you must have realized—Madhesh's vote is not some feudal landlord's inheritance.

Over there, Janamat Party's Dr. CK Raut ji's 'horn' has also been badly silenced this time. The ones you defeated in the last election to become a hero pushed you to third place in your own fortress this time; perhaps that finally made you realize the true power of the public mandate.

And what can even be said about our evergreen minister Sarat Singh Bhandari and Rajendra Mahato ji! Having devoured ministerial posts 19 times and still rushing to 'build the country', the public has respectfully handed Bhandari ji his 'pension papers' this time around. By the time Rajendra Mahato's political journey, which started from Sadbhawana, reached the 'Rastriya Mukti Party', the people of Madhesh decided to grant him 'liberation' (Mukti) from the parliament forever. The pain of coming in fourth with just 5,000 votes is no small thing; leaning against a pole and crying in the cartoon was the only option left!

When the 'bell' rang in 30 out of 32 seats in Madhesh, it didn't just deafen the ears of these Ghatte (they call them "heavyweight" in English, I suppose) leaders; it pulled down the shutters of their three-decade-long political shops. The people of Madhesh used the ballot box to explain that selling the sentiment and slogans of old identity is no longer enough to win elections; it requires honesty towards the issues and problems.