Candidates heat up election atmosphere in Dhangadhi

BY PRAKASH BIKRAM SHAH 

Dhangadhi, Oct. 22: Election atmosphere is heating up in Kailali of Sudurpashim as the elections to the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly are just a month away.

Political parties and the independent candidates have already intensified their election-centric activities for the November 20 elections to the House of Representatives (HoR) and the Provincial Assembly (PA). 

Due to the strict implementation of the election code of conduct by the Election Commission (EC), programme like mass meetings, corner meetings, election rallies and miking have not been allowed until November 30. As a result, the candidates have engaged only in inaugurating their election offices, holding strategic meetings and conducting door-to-door programmes in their constituency.  

Again, it is paddy harvest season and most of the farmers are now busy harvesting paddy remaining away from all election-related activities.  As the farmers are busy harvesting paddy, the election campaign in the villages has not picked up pace.

The political parties and candidates participating in the election are now trying to be present themselves in the public with their election manifesto. 

Although the main responsibility of the members of the HoR and the PA is to formulate laws, most of the candidates are found presenting development programmes to convince the voters. 

Constituency- 5 of Kailali District is considered the political, economic, educational and health centre of entire Sudhurpaschim Province. 

As per the preliminary estimate, the main competition will be among the candidates of the ruling alliance, the CPN-UML, and independent candidates.

In this constituency, the Nepali Congress (NC) candidates were elected in four previous elections while the candidates of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) each won once.

Dilliraj Panta, the current provincial assembly member from the NC is the common candidate of ruling alliance and Naradamuni Rana, who won the 2074 election, is the CPN-UML candidate. 

Independent candidate Pushkarnath Ojha is challenging the both candidates of the ruling alliance and the UML. 

Ojha, the NC leader was expelled from the party for five years for "non-cooperation" to the party's official candidate in the 2017 election. Arzu Rana of the NC lost the 2017 election from this constituency. 

Similarly, Congress youth leader Prakash Bahadur Deuba and Kailali executive president Durga Prasad Joshi of the CPN-UML are candidates for the PA in Kailali 5 (B) while NC general committee youth member Kshitij Bhandari is a rebel candidate in Kailali 5 (B).

In Kailali 5(A), Ramesh Dhami, the central member of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and Nepalu Chaudhary, the current provincial assembly member from the CPN UML, are candidates, with Ramesh Kumar Basnet being an independent candidate. Basnet filed his nomination rebelling the official candidates of the Maoist Centre. 

There are 10 candidates, including the party and independent candidates, for the members of the HoR. Similarly, there are five candidates for PA from Kailali-5(B). However, based on the current situation, it seems that the main competition for the member of the HoR in Kailali 5 will be between the alliance, UML and independent candidate Ojha.

Similarly, the ruling coalition and UML are challenged by rebel candidates of the respective parties for the provincial assembly in both the constituencies. However, some people have predicted that there will be a tripartite competition between alliance, UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) in Kailali-5 (A) constituency.

All the candidates of Kailali 5 have included a well-organised, beautiful and prosperous city of Dhangadhi, Geta Medical College, Airport, Seti Regional Hospital, roads, agriculture, tourism, education and health in their election agenda. 

Panta, a congress leader, who is a candidate for the House of Representatives from the five-party alliance, claimed that he was a suitable candidate for the House of Representatives because of his actions during his five-year term as a member of the Provincial Assembly.  He said that no one can accuse him of committing a single wrongdoing as a member of the provincial assembly for five years.

Panta, the common candidate of the alliance, said that his main goals are Geta Medical College, Technical School, organic fertiliser factory, systematic urbanisation, upgradation of Seti Regional Hospital and Geta Airport, Community School and job creation.

Narad Muni Rana, a two-time candidate from UML in Kailali 5, said that development and politics are two major issues.  He said, “In the last five years, the foundation of physical development has been laid in Kailali- 5 along with Dhangadhi. Now I have moved forward with the goal of developing Dhangadhi as a Megacity.”

He said that during the last five years, construction of postal road, regional urban development programme, city hall, information- technology-equipped smart school for the first time in Sudhurpaschim, technology-friendly city gathered pace.

Independent candidate Ojha has prioritised the issue of protecting the self-respect of the people of Kailali 5. He is presenting the issues of people's self-esteem and development in every household during his door-to-door campaign.

The candidates of both seats in the PA have also made the development and prosperity of Dhangadhi as their main election agenda. Deuba, who is a member of the PA from constituency (B) from the five-party alliance, has been raising the issue of unorganised urbanisation, river cutting and flooding, and river channel encroachment during his door-to-door visits.

Durga Prasad Joshi, who is a candidate for PA member from Kailali 5 (B) from UML, said that since politics has become distorted in recent days, loyal and honest youth should participate in the elections.

“I have come forward to instill faith in the people towards the state system and to establish the culture that politics is the service of the people,” said Joshi. 

Puskar Bhatt, the RPP candidate, said that since the two wards of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolis are lagging behind in terms of development, his candidacy was for the overall development of that area.

Ramesh Kumar Basnet, who revolted from the Maoist Centre, and filed nomination as an independent candidate from Kailali-5(A), said that he rebelled because of the weakening of internal democracy in party and increasing corrupt activities. “Being a local, I do have a clear knowledge and vision of development, challenges and possibilities in this area,” said Basnet.