Rajbiraj, March, 16: Dr. Chandra Kanta (CK) Raut, chairperson of the Janamat Party, has announced his retirement from parliamentary politics.
In a message posted on social media, Raut said he would step away from position-based politics but continue his political struggle for the rights and identity of the people.
He said he had contested parliamentary elections twice against his personal wishes, winning once and losing once, but expressed satisfaction with both decisions.
Raut recalled that in 2018 the government did not allow the Free Madhesh Alliance to operate and prevented it from reaching the public, which led to the formation of a political party. At that time, he said other leaders had refused to take the role of chairperson, leaving him to assume the leadership.
He said he had initially decided not to contest the 2022 general elections either under the direct or proportional representation system. However, he agreed to run after repeated requests from party leaders, a decision he said helped the party secure one seat under the first-past-the-post system and five seats through proportional representation, enabling it to gain national party status.
Raut also said he had already decided not to contest the 2025 elections, but filed his candidacy at the last moment to maintain the morale of party leaders and cadres. After the results, he said he felt the decision to contest the election based on colleagues’ advice had been the right one.
He clarified that although he is stepping away from parliamentary or position-based politics, he will remain active in politics and continue advocating for his principles, agenda and the rights of the people. He added that he would focus on preparing the party for upcoming local and provincial elections while continuing to serve the public.
