Voters in Sunsari-3 Express Disillusionment Amidst Shifting Political Winds

Biratnagar. Barju Rural Municipality-5, connected to Biratnagar, the capital of Koshi Province, is a sugarcane-producing area. Many laborers cutting dry sugarcane are found along the Hulaki Highway in Barju-5. Some women are busy peeling sugarcane with sickles in the middle of the sugarcane fields. One of them is 40-year-old Sajila Khatun. Although her name means 'easy' or 'simple,' her work is difficult. Not only the work, but she also bears the responsibility of building the future for her four children.

As the election on Falgun 21st increases the buzz in Sunsari Constituency No. 3 (Barju), Sajila remains completely untouched by the election fervor. Instead, seeing leaders carrying election flags makes her feel mocked by her own deprivation and compulsion.

Sajila's husband left her ten years ago. Since then, the burden of four children has rested on her thin shoulders. For working all day in the sugarcane field, she earns only 450 rupees daily wages. Should she use that 450 rupees to light the evening stove or secure her children's future? This is Sajila's constant dilemma. She said, 'Sir, I have four children. It's been 10 years since my husband left. I am feeding four people alone. I get 450 a day, is that enough?'

A young girl is helping her peel sugarcane nearby; she is Sajila's daughter. This daughter, who should be in school by age, is forced to sweat in the sugarcane field to fill the void left by her mother. Sajila's heart burns inside over her daughter's interrupted education. She said, 'I could only educate my daughter up to the 5th grade, Sir; after that, I didn't have enough money. I couldn't afford a dress, nor could I buy notebooks and pens. If I could have educated her, why would my daughter have to come to peel sugarcane now? My daughter is grown up now, and I don't have any money for her marriage. When my daughter becomes marriageable, I can't sleep at night worrying about her wedding, Sir, what should I do?'

As the election approaches, leaders are flocking to the village, but Sajila doesn't care. She says, 'Now, many leaders come asking for votes. When they come to ask for votes, they come bowing and calling us 'sisters.' But no one looks at our problems. I don't even have a tube well at my house, Sir; I have to go to someone else's tube well to get drinking water. No one has come to provide us with a tube well until now, but now that elections are here, they come saying 'Sir, Sir.'

There is great disillusionment among grassroots voters like Sajila. They feel that no matter who wins, nothing will change in their lives. 'This time, I won't vote for anyone. I won't,' she says angrily. 'My daughter is grown up; if they could just gather a little money for her marriage, I would get her married. But who will give it to us! Leaders don't even look back once their work is done. We can only consider someone who brings roads and water to our village; otherwise, I won't vote for anyone.'

Youths Take a Different Approach

On the roadside in Chimdi, Ward No. 6 of Barju Rural Municipality, a group of 10-12 youths are enthusiastically hanging banners on poles. The banner reads, 'This time, Balen's government,' and next to it is the election symbol 'Bell' of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). This banner featuring the picture of Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah indicates that the election heat in Sunsari-3 is not as intense as in the past. The influence of RSP is growing.

Rahul Bhagat, 22, who was hanging the banner, looked enthusiastic. He said, 'This country will not live under blankets and tarps for another 5 years. The days when people were bought with liquor and meat are gone. We must wake up ourselves; that's why we have stood up for change.' Youths like Suraj Kumar Das, Chanchal Das, Abhishek Yadav, Devan Chaudhary, and Bishay Chaudhary, all aged 21-22, are voting for the first time. They all share one voice: 'We don't want promises; we want leadership that works.'

The impact of the banner hung by the youths has also affected 78-year-old Rulal Das. Having voted for Congress leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar under the 'Tree' symbol his entire life, this time he seems ready to listen to his grandsons. He says, 'We have seen Bijay Gachhadar, Bhagwati Chaudhary, Reshamlal Chaudhary. Now we should perhaps look at someone new once. The old ones only took turns becoming ministers and eating.'

The experience of Lal Bahadur Ray (Barju-1), who has been driving a city rickshaw on the same road for a year and a half, is somewhat different and bitter. Lal Bahadur, who won as a ward member in 2074 BS, drives a rickshaw to make a living. He says, 'Leaders only visit people's homes during elections. After the election, central and provincial leaders never return to the village. No one comes to understand the problems of people like us.'

As he narrated the problems he faces while driving the rickshaw and the struggle to support his family, he hinted that his vote might change this time. He added, 'I myself am an elected ward member from 2074 BS, but I don't boast like other leaders; I work hard. Many people in the village are talking about new faces now. The old parties took turns becoming ministers but did nothing for the country.'

Meanwhile, Tek Bahadur Katuwal, a sugarcane farmer from Barju-5, is angry at the government and the sugar mill operators. Cutting sugarcane in his field, he has cultivated sugarcane on 10 katthas of land. But his complaint is that they are being cheated by the sugarcane. He says, 'The mill is trying to make us farmers slaves. They don't issue 'Purbi' (the permit letter given by the sugar mill), and the subsidy money provided by the government doesn't arrive on time. It costs 50 thousand rupees to plant sugarcane on 10 katthas, but the income is almost zero. At a time like this, what face do the leaders have to come asking for votes?'

He complained that he still hasn't received the sugarcane subsidy of 35 rupees per quintal promised by the government. He also mentioned that discussions are underway about voting for a new party.

Sunsari Constituency No. 3 has historically seen competition between Nepali Congress leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar and CPN-UML's Bhagwati Chaudhary for years. This time, however, a new political equation and wave are visible in this constituency. A strong desire for change is evident, especially among the youth voting for the first time and the elderly who have been voting for the same faces for a long time. UML held a meeting with candidates and workers in Sitaganj, Barju, on Thursday itself. A UML worker mentioned that the participation in the meeting was lower than in previous years. 'In past years, 200 to 250 people would gather when Bhagwati came; this time, only 50 people gathered. And that too, only complaints were heard,' said one worker on condition of anonymity.

On the other hand, at Birendra Chowk in Barju-5, Congress held a program for Ward No. 5. Ramesh Chaudhary, a local Congress leader, stated that the program had about a hundred participants and that this was encouraging. 'Our votes are secure. We will win. Our competition here is with UML. RSP is third,' he said. Similarly, Ramprasad Chaudhary, a district secretariat member of Congress Sunsari, claimed that even though RSP has entered the competition, the party will not win the election. He stated that their desire is to send Bijay Gachhadar to victory with honor.

Legacy of the Past

In Sunsari Constituency No. 3, which has a majority of Tharu and Chaudhary communities, candidates from the Tharu community are again dominant in the main competition this time. Congress leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar is in the electoral field for the eighth time.

On one side is Gachhadar, who reigned supreme for 30 years from 2048 BS to 2074 BS, and on the other side is Bhagwati Chaudhary of CPN-UML, who emerged by breaking his legacy.

This is the fourth electoral contest between Chaudhary and Gachhadar. In the general election of 2079 BS, Bhagwati defeated Gachhadar, ending his undefeated streak, by about 5,000 votes. Bhagwati is aiming to repeat her victory. There are 22 candidates competing in this constituency. Currently, leaders from both UML and Congress admit that Ashok Chaudhary of RSP is also in the competition alongside Gachhadar and Bhagwati.

In that constituency, the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) has fielded Durgesh Chaudhary, the Shram Sanskriti Party has fielded Ramprasad Sada, the Samabeshi Samajwadi Party Nepal has fielded Kishorkumar Biswas, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has fielded Ghanshyam Gurung as candidates.

Gachhadar, who has been a minister up to 12 times, has always claimed to have developed his constituency significantly. Gachhadar left Congress and became a leader of the Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum. After the Forum split in 2070 BS, he became a leader of the Loktantrik Jana Adhikar Forum. He contested the election in 2070 BS from the Forum and won. In 2074 BS, he returned to his old political home, Congress. Bhagwati was also his competitor in the 2074 election. He won that election by a very narrow margin as well.