Siraha Voters Face Basic Needs Crisis Amidst Election Campaigning

Siraha. Forty-one candidates have filed nominations for the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21 in Siraha Constituency No. 3. While candidates are busy with door-to-door campaigning, the Musahar community in Haripur Betauna, part of this constituency, remains worried about how to meet their basic needs.

Sixty households in Haripur Betauna, Ward No. 12 of Golbazar Municipality, which falls under Siraha Constituency No. 3, have been deprived of basic facilities like water and sanitation for years. As the election atmosphere intensifies, they are concerned about securing shelter, clean drinking water, and toilets. Due to the lack of toilets, they are forced to defecate in others' fields and must drink contaminated, iron-rich water.

They had previously installed toilets and water taps (hand pumps) in front of their huts and courtyards using their own resources. Five years ago, during the expansion of the Golbazar–Lagadigadyani road, the houses, toilets, and hand pumps of these families, who do not even have land to support their temporary structures, were demolished. Since then, they have been facing problems with housing, sanitation, and drinking water. Many have been unable to rebuild their demolished houses. Some have not even been able to secure water, and building toilets is out of the question as they lack land.

However, Golbazar Municipality claims to spend millions of rupees annually for installing drinking water and irrigation boardings. Provincial and federal parliamentarians have also made significant efforts for irrigation and drinking water. Yet, these 60 impoverished Dalit families are still forced to drink iron-rich, contaminated water. They do not even have the hand pumps to draw that water. This exposes the attitude of the elected representatives towards Dalits.

 
Local resident Pramod Saday, 47, lives with his two sons, two daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. However, they do not own any land.

“We don't have land; we sleep by partitioning the single room just enough for a cot. We don't even have enough courtyard space for two people to stand comfortably,” he says, “Where do we install a water tap or build a toilet on such little land?”

Two elections have been held since the promulgation of the constitution, but he complains that they have not received even water in the name of development. “During elections, they promise to build houses, provide water, electricity, education, and health services for all. After winning the election, we poor people receive nothing,” he says.

Although the municipality and ward offices have installed taps and bores for drinking water and irrigation throughout the village, this settlement has nothing. Gangaawat Saday, 50, had her house demolished during the road expansion. “Forget about water and toilets, I haven't been able to rebuild my demolished house due to financial constraints,” she says. “Because we lack toilets, our daughters-in-law have been enduring public shame. Sometimes, we also have to endure insults from landowners.”

She complains that it feels as if the government does not exist for the poor and destitute. “Where is the government for us? We are just a vote bank. Everyone comes, gives false assurances, and after the election, they never meet us again,” Saday says.

Ganga Devi and Pramod are representative figures. The plight of all 60 households spread across five katthas of land in this settlement is similar. They now want to elect leaders who will show results through action, not those who distribute false promises during elections. Feeling that the old parties have done nothing for them, they are now thinking of choosing new parties and leaders.

In Siraha-3, the candidates include Subaschandra Yadav of the Nepali Congress, Leelanath Shrestha of CPN-UML, Bishwanath Sah of the Communist Party of Nepal, and Dr. Shambhu Yadav of the Rastriya Swatantra Party. Similarly, Asheshwor Yadav from the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and Rohit Mahato from the Janamat Party are in the electoral field. The main competition this time is anticipated to be among these parties in this constituency.

This constituency has a total of 119,250 voters, comprising 55,859 women and 63,391 men. Fifty-three polling stations and 136 polling centers have been designated for the election.