After being ousted from government leadership on July 12, the CPN (Maoist Centre), the third largest party in the House of Representatives, finds itself in uncharted territory, facing a long spell out of power for the for the first time in nine years since the promulgation of the constitution in 2015. In a show of dissent, the party organised a protest rally in Kathmandu on October 26.

As the main opposition party in the House, the Maoist Centre marked the new government’s 100th day with the protest rally, but its leaders say they have no specific programmes planned until the by-elections for the local level.

The Election Commission is set to hold the by-elections for vacant seats in 39 local units on December 1.

“Before the local-level by-election, our party may not organise any major event," Yubaraj Chaulagain, a Bagmati Province lawmaker and politburo member of the party, told the Post. “Now our focus will be on the by-elections.”

Chaulagain also said that the party will convene a central committee meeting soon after the by-election to chart out the party's strategy ahead.

Lekhanath Dahal, a federal lawmaker from the party, echoes Chaulagain, stating that while the party does not have any event, they were encouraged by public participation in their protest rally. He further adds that public interest in the Maoist Centre was evident from the turnout at the rally.

“With the support of the people, we will come up with protest programmes against the steps taken by the current KP Sharma Oli-led government, which appears to be encouraging corruption and inefficient governance,” Dahal told the Post.

Although Maoist Centre leaders assert that more people support their party because of their effective performance in the immediate past government, political analysts refuse to buy such claims. Like most other political parties, the Maoist Centre has also struggled with a lack of political agenda, which has caused a void in party activity, political analysts claim.

“It is one thing to claim that the government under your leadership was better and more effective than others, but to claim that the Maoist Centre’s performance attracting the masses is farcical,” professor of political science Krishna Pokharel told the Post.

In Pokhrel's opinion, the lack of a pro-people agenda has caused parties to drift away from the public. A clear example of this is their failure to come up with an effective programme for a long time, he said.

Maoist Centre can provide a tough competition in the upcoming general elections if the party establishes itself as a strong opposition in Parliament, Pokharel adds.

But the leaders of the Maoist center claim that it is wrong to say that they lack a pro-people programme and agenda. They say that they are working to reunite with the factions that split from the original Maoist party, to attract more public support.

Since losing power, the Maoist center has made many efforts to strengthen itself, including reviving the Socialist Front. The party, which later forgot the Socialist Front that it created while in power, organised a meeting in July, right after losing power, and announced plans to reactivate it.

However, with other parties affiliated to the Socialist Front focussed on their own internal issues, the front’s activities have stalled. The Front is an alliance of smaller, like-minded political parties with a socialist orientation.

However, Lekhanath Dahal, the Maoist Centre leader, claims that the Socialist Front will hold a meeting soon. The Front’s meeting in July had formed a three-member task force to strengthen the front, and based on their recommendations, a full meeting will be scheduled soon.