7 Chepangs including a woman in fray

By Murari Adhikari Dhading, May 10: Seven people coming from the marginalised Chepang community in Dhading district are contesting the upcoming local polls for the post of the chairperson of their respective wards. One woman and six men from the community are running from various political parties for a chance to chair their wards. All seven claim their candidacy is for the upliftment of the Chepang community of the district.

Rajendra Chepang has filed his candidacy for the chairman of Ward No. 9 of Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality from the Nepali Congress (NC) party. Around 42 per cent of the ward’s residents are Chepangs. 

“This Chepang population has so far only been used as a vote bank,” Rajendra said. “That is why we have now stepped forward to take charge of our fate,” he added. Rajendra said that he was entering the electoral field with a five-year strategy for the development of the ward and the community.

Bikas Chepang is also standing for the position of ward chair of Benighat Rorang Ward No. 10 from the NC. He said that Chepangs needed to reach leadership positions to take the community forward. “Chepangs have always been left behind due to a lack of awareness and financial disadvantages,” he said. “Thus, I have taken this step into politics to develop and promote Chepang art, culture and civilisation.”

In Benighat Rorang-8, two Chepangs are competing against each other. Aakash Chepang and Bhim Bahadur Chepang are standing from the CPN (UML) and the NC in the ward where 60 per cent of the residents are Chepangs. Both of them promise to work for their community and fulfil the needs of the locals if they win.

In Gajuri Rural Municipality Ward 4 too, two Chepangs Surendra Praja from Congress and Harka Bahadur Chepang from the Unified Socialist are standing against each other. Praja was elected the chairman of the ward in 2017 and is now seeking a second term. Meanwhile, Harka Bahadur said that Chepangs needed to reach leading positions to end their backwardness.

In Gajuri-3, Shobha Chepang is standing from the CPN (Unified Socialist). She said her candidacy stemmed from a lack of food, shelter, education, health, security and employment which has been plaguing the residents of the rural municipality for years. “I believe that I can change the ward residents’ lives by modernising agriculture,” she said.