Voters in Mahottari-2 Prioritize Flood Control and Irrigation Over Campaign Promises Ahead of Elections

Mahottari. As the House of Representatives elections draw near, electoral activities have also begun in Mahottari-2. Here, voters are increasingly expressing their dissatisfaction to the candidates and party leaders visiting their neighborhoods and communities, rather than just presenting their problems.

“Our settlement is troubled by the river; the settlement and fields are at risk every monsoon due to floods in the river,” said 55-year-old Suresh Sardar of Bhangaha-6 Hatisarwa Majra. He stated that they suffer annually because concrete embankments and canal dams for river control have not been built. Although embankments were constructed in various places in the past to prevent erosion and inundation, the problem has not been resolved.

Citizens here have started voicing such grievances to the candidates seeking votes in the election. The devastation caused by the Ratu River, which flows through this area, affects residents of seven local levels in the district. The problem remains unresolved as long-term solutions have not been sought, according to Marni Majhi Musahar of Balwa-11 Bhagwatipur. “When the monsoon arrives, there is a fear that the flood will wash away our homes,” Majhi said.

Electoral fervor has increased with the growing movement of candidates and party workers during the election. In this area, located in the eastern central part of the district, groups affected by rivers such as Bighi, Ratu, Marha, and Oksi highlight flood and inundation during the monsoon and water scarcity during the winter as their main issues.

This area falls under Mahottari-2, encompassing wards 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 of Bhangaha Municipality; ward 11 of Balwa Municipality; ward 9 of Loharpatti Municipality in the east-central region; ward 6 of Mahottari Rural Municipality; wards 7, 8, and 9 of Aurahi Municipality; ward 6 of Pipra; and ward 6 of Ekadara Rural Municipality.

Although the main occupation of the residents here is farming, they have been enduring the fate of relying on rainwater for cultivation and the constant threat of floods inundating or washing away their homes during the monsoon due to the lack of proper irrigation management.

“We are in distress; there is no irrigation facility for the fields, and the monsoon floods submerge everything, so we have never been able to properly store our harvest,” says 45-year-old Bhola Mahato of Mahottari Rural Municipality-6 Gorigaon. “Elections keep happening, but our suffering remains the same.”

This area suffers from flood erosion/inundation during the monsoon and severe water scarcity in the winter. Residents here say that towards the end of winter, there is a scarcity not only for irrigation but sometimes even for drinking water.

Residents who have been facing these problems wish that the government would arrange irrigation facilities for farming, timely supply of seeds, fertilizers, and accessible agricultural loans, along with the provision of concrete embankments (tatsbandh) to protect against floods, according to Ram Sagar Yadav of Loharpatti-1.

A total of 37 candidates, including 15 from political parties and 22 independents, are competing in the upcoming elections here. Idris Momin, a candidate from CPN (United), stated that such problems from the residents of this area are frequently raised during election campaigning.

“The complaints from the public have increased due to the lack of planned work; now, we must find a solution through our collective resolve,” he said.

Candidates from JSP Nepal, Communist Party of Nepal, RPP Nepal, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, Progressive Democratic Party, Ujyalo Nepal Party, CPN (UML), Nepali Congress and Rastriya Swatantra Party, Janadesh Party Nepal, Rashtra Nirman Dal, Janmat Party, Shram Sanskriti Party, Mongol National Organization, and CPN United are competing on a party basis in Mahottari-2. Twenty-two independent candidates from these parties are also in the competition.

There are 107,594 voters in this constituency. Furthermore, 133 polling stations have been arranged at 62 polling sites, informed the Chief Election Officer of the district, Madhav Prasad Adhikari. District Chief District Officer Indra Dev Yadav stated that security arrangements have been strengthened to ensure the election is conducted in a fair and fear-free manner as the election campaign progresses.