Tourism, infrastructure development and climate change main election agendas in Manang

Manang, Feb 14: The candidates running in the election for the House of Representatives (HoR) Member from Manang have intensified their election campaign. With 19 days left to go to the polls, candidates here are trying to win support of voters to their side with their respective agendas.

Three parties are going to compete in the election in Manang district which is a single electoral constituency. The main contest will be between the Nepali Congress (NC), the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) and the Mongol National Organisation.

These competing parties have put forward Manang's tourism sector, infrastructure development, and climate change as their main election agenda.

Nepali Congress candidate Tek Bahadur Gurung said, "Since tourism is the source of income for Manang and development is impossible without the development of road infrastructure, priority has been given to the development of road connectivity in the district as the main election agenda."

According to him, the aim is to increase income level of the people in Manang by linking the adventurous, historical, and religious areas here with tourism. Gurung added that the plan is to make Manang, which is important for increasing the country's income levels, a hub for hydroelectric projects as well.

He stated that since Manang, a mountainous region, is more affected by climate change, an agenda to tackle it has been put forth. "To address the impact of climate change, it is necessary to raise awareness among the locals and highlight it in Parliament. This agenda has been set with the aim of protecting the natural beauty of the district from the ill effects of climate change."

Similarly, Yashoda Subedi Gurung, the candidate of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), said that tourism is the main source of income in Manang and it should be promoted.

"Natural beauty and culture of Manang and the possibilities for adventure tourism here are recognised at the global level. Tourism is the backbone of prosperity for the district. The goal is to conserve it and develop alternative trekking routes," she said.

Gurung stated that due to road expansion, the risk-prone Annapurna trail has been affected, so the construction of alternative trails has been prioritized.  She shared that the goal is to promote Tilicho Lake and other lakes such as the Ice Lake, and the Thorong La Pass, Larkya Pass, and Kang La Pass as major tourist destinations.The competition will be among the old parties - the Nepali Congress and the NCP - in Manang in this election.

This election appears to be different from the competition in the previous election held in 2079 BS. This time the Nepali Congress is supported by the CPN-UML and RPP. The main competitor in this election is, therefore, going to be between the Nepali Congress and the Nepali Communist Party.

According to the District Election Office, Manang, there are a total of seven thousand voters, including 3,623 women and 3,377 men, who will be voting from 29 polling centres. (RSS)