Nepal, May 1 -- The victory of Suhang Nembang, a political neophyte representing the CPN-UML, in Ilam-2 by-election may not have a big impact on the make-up of the federal parliament. But it nevertheless hints at the country's general political landscape and, of course, of the Koshi Province, where identity politics had been all the rage in the lead-up to the election.

The nomenclature of Koshi Province, of which Ilam is a district, had been a flashpoint of violent agitation led by the proponents of identity politics who wanted a name that reflected the ethnic identity of the place.

Two activists from that front-Milan Limbu, representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and independent Dakendra Singh Limbu, who was part of the Provin...