Election fervor has not reached Majhi and Musahar communities in Chitwan

Chitwan, Feb 26: With seven days left for going to the polls, election fervor is palpable across the country. However, no kind of excitement has been seen in one settlement here so far.

The Majhi and Musahar settlement at Ward 8 of Ratnanagar Municipality is far from the excitement of the election. The chairperson of the settlement, Basmati Majhi, said that as the election approaches, no candidate has paid attention to their community comprising 29 Majhi and Musahar households.

"Until now, no candidate has come to meet the voters here. In the previous elections, candidates or representatives from every political party used to come to ask for votes. But this time no one has come. In this election, the local residents here do not even know which parties have fielded candidates," she said.

Even as the day for voting approaches, she complained that no voter education volunteers have arrived here. This community, making a living through daily wage labour, lacks education, health services and employment.

Mahesh Majhi, who has registered his name in the voter list for the first time, is not excited about the election and he does not even agree to talk about it. He says he has no interest in voting.

"I have no desire to vote, why bother with elections," he added.

Even though he has passed 'Plus Two' level of school education, he could not find employment, so he has been earning a living by driving an auto on rent. He says he has no interest in voting because there is no guarantee of employment, education, or health.

Anjali Majhi, who has been learning skills at home after completing Class 12, also complained that the parties' candidates have overlooked their settlement. 

"The voters here do not even know how to vote,” she said, indicating to the lack of adequate voter education in this backward settlement. (RSS)