Candidates Face Tough Questions

Election is the beauty of democracy, goes a common saying that largely reflects the sentiments of people, particularly during the election cycles. This idiom rings truer than ever when one examines the heated conversations between voters and candidates in their respective constituencies. Thanks to social media sites that instantly show the people grilling leaders for their dereliction of duty after being elected as lawmakers. Social and digital media are often criticised for spreading disinformation about the parties and their candidates. They are also playing a more constructive role by exposing the pretensions and lies of candidates. This has expanded the scope of participatory democracy, with the public voice and concerns receiving wider consideration.

Nepal has witnessed a number of general elections under the multiparty system in the past. Every poll has presented its distinct pattern of voting. Voters have changed their preferences, with the emergence of new political and social dynamics. Their shifting choices imply that a sheer rationality has often driven them. They have punished or rewarded the contesting parties or their candidates based on their performance and credentials. Their growing maturity is propitious for the electoral democracy. And it will be stupid to take them for granted, for they are gradually developing the ability to gauge which information is false and which is not.

Heated arguments

The tempo of elections slated for March 5 is reaching a high point. The parties and their candidates are making every effort to woo the people. But, this time, voters are getting tough with the candidates who are unable to keep their words or contest in the same constituencies time and again without living up to the local expectations. As the voters and candidates face head-on over the national and local issues, their intense conversations draw greater attention. But the candidates are becoming the subject of ridicule for their ham-fisted manners. This has indeed put the curb on the impulsive candidates engaged in unfounded criticisms against the rival contesters.

The fiery interactions with the electorates give a reality check to the latter that securing a popular mandate is tied to a responsibility. They endure invectives in public should they fail to fulfil the electoral promises. Here, this scribe seeks to mention some such incidents that have gone viral on various social media platforms.

Scene one:  A woman is taking on Rajendra Pandey, a candidate of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), in Dhading district during the canvassing. She says, “You first came with the ‘Sun’ symbol. Second time, you appeared before us with the poll symbol ‘Pen.’ Now you solicit votes for the ‘Star’. While you changed the poll symbol three times, I could not change my jacket once. I am wearing the same jacket during these three election cycles.”

Her biting remark drew the rapt attention of the people standing there. But she had a clear stance. With her hands together, she urged him to give a chance to the youth candidates this time. A red-faced Pandey did not give in. Instead of showing politeness, he went on to claim that he fought for democracy and human rights in the past, and took many development initiatives in the district. However, the woman, who was simply a voter, stole the show.

Scene two: A middle-aged woman is arguing with former prime minister KP Sharma Oli during his door-to-door campaign in Jhapa-5. She said, “Does the view tower create jobs? All industries and factories have already been sold. What has been gained by making the view tower? You have allowed your followers to buy plots of land surrounding it. Now, where are the jobs?”

As the women hurled a volley of questions, Oli appeared to be surprised. He stares at her without responding to her questions. She was talking about the 18-storey Damak View Tower, which was completed at a cost of 1.45 billion in July 2024 and made accessible to the public one year later. But the much-talked-about business complex now remains idle. Oli’s flagship project, which he implemented during his premiership, no longer serves his purpose. Instead, it has become a source of criticism, and voters now see it as a waste of national resources, not one that generates employment and income for the locals.

Meeting with voters at their own residences and listening to their concerns provides an opportunity to the candidates to grasp the problems on the ground. This is a positive aspect of the election that enables the people to choose their representatives without fear or coercion.

The winds of change 

The upcoming elections taking place in the aftermath of the Gen Z movement are likely to upset the established political parties. The winds of change are blowing so fiercely that the major political forces have found themselves on the defensive. Unlike in the past, Oli has devoted his time to his constituency instead of attending the party’s mass meetings in other parts of the country. Under huge pressure from his rival Balendra Shah of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), he is busy in whistle-stop tour to maximise his visibility with the electorate.

It is the same condition as NCP Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. It seems he is mostly confined to Rukum East, where he is betting his political career. He is seen eating flatbread with locals and sharing light moments over tea. However, Oli and Prachanda are supposed to address the mass meetings to drum up support for their parties. Quite the contrary, RSP has been organising one big poll rally after another. The Nepali Congress is trailing behind the RSP in holding the poll meetings. This speaks volumes about the emerging voting trend. The poll is going to be exciting. Its outcomes will probably bring a paradigm shift to Nepali politics. 

(The author is the Deputy Executive Editor of this daily.)