Voters in Surkhet-2 Express Disillusionment with Old Guard, Favoring New Political Forces Amidst Election Buzz

Surkhet. Following the filing of candidacies, intense election discussions and debates are now taking place in the tea stalls and resting places of Birendranagar, the capital of Karnali Province.

In areas like Erichok and Pipl Chautara in Birendranagar, election chatter dominates conversations among the elderly and the youth. As the provincial capital, voters from the hilly districts are also found in Birendranagar.

The capital, Birendranagar Municipality, falls under West Surkhet, specifically Surkhet Constituency No. 2 (excluding Wards 15 and 16). Besides Birendranagar, the area includes Barahatal and Chaukune Rural Municipalities, and Panchapuri Municipality. A total of 17 candidates from various political parties have registered their candidacies in this constituency. Among them, Narayan Koirala from the Nepali Congress, Kulmani Devkota from CPN-UML, Jhak Bahadur Malla 'Sudeep' from the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN), and Ramesh Kumar Sapkota from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) are in the electoral arena.

All candidates this time are new faces. Candidates from these four major parties have now reached West Surkhet with their election campaigns. It appears they have chosen Chaukune and Panchapuri in the west as the starting points for their campaigns, rather than the capital, Birendranagar.

Most voters, however, are concentrated in the capital Birendranagar, primarily due to employment, business, and educational pursuits. The villages are currently populated mostly by elderly voters.

Leaders and intellectuals in Surkhet assess that the political competition will primarily be among the three old parties: Congress, UML, and CPN. Their argument is that even if the RSP cuts some votes, they are in no position to win the election here. The old parties have their own organizational structures and traditional vote banks.

However, the understanding among voters appears different from the political analyses and assessments made. Voters' hopes regarding traditional parties and even their agendas seem to have changed.

Tika Tiwari (34) from Chhispani, Birendranagar Municipality-4, has voted in three previous elections. Her father and brother have been active in Congress politics for a long time. Tiwari, who runs a small tea and snack shop, openly stated that she has voted for parties ranging from Congress to UML in the past. "Candidates gave many assurances, saying they would bring development, so I voted for them," she said, "but this time, I am going to change my vote."