Voters in Mahottari-3 Show Little Enthusiasm Ahead of Federal Elections Amid Unfulfilled Promises

Janakpurdham. As the date for the House of Representatives election approaches, there is little enthusiasm among voters in Mahottari-3. Voters state that they are not very enthusiastic about the upcoming election because the representatives they elected in past elections have failed to work according to the public's aspirations.

According to Chandra Dev Kapar of Pipra Rural Municipality-7, which falls under Mahottari-3, elections are merely a political festival where leaders deceive the public. “Leaders come seeking votes in the election, promising to carry out development works and improve the living standards of the people,” he said. “People believe what the leaders say and cast their votes, but after winning the election, no work is done. They sit in Kathmandu and divide up power. They ignore the problems faced by the people.”

Kapar complained that farmers are forced to face various problems. “There is neither proper arrangement for irrigation nor for fertilizer. They install deep bores, but no water comes. They have not even been maintained,” he said.

In the two parliamentary elections held after the promulgation of the new constitution by the Constituent Assembly, Mahantha Thakur was elected from this constituency. In the upcoming election, he has put forward his daughter, Minakshi Thakur, as a candidate from this constituency on behalf of JSP Nepal, while he himself was recently elected to the National Assembly.

Kapar alleges that despite voters electing him in two elections, Thakur has not played any role in solving the problems of the people. “His focus is on dynastic politics,” he said. “He went to the National Assembly, and he has made his daughter a candidate here. He has no time to understand the problems of the people.”

70-year-old Satyanarayan Yadav of Pipra Rural Municipality-6 also states that the state of development in Mahottari-3 is dismal. “Leaders made many promises just before the election, but they could not develop accordingly. They only fooled the people,” he said.

Yadav said that thousands of farmers like him, dependent on agriculture, are forced to face various problems. He said, “The paddy crop could not be good this time due to unseasonal rain. There was a severe scarcity of drinking water, but our leaders did not return. They come with big assurances during election time but do not work after winning. ”

Jaleshwar Municipality also falls under Mahottari-3. Jaleshwar Municipality gets flooded during the monsoon. Local residents say there is no concrete plan for embankments and drainage to prevent flooding. Voters complain that leaders have repeatedly promised to solve these problems but failed to deliver.

Ranjit Mandal, a resident of Jaleshwar-6, said, “We face many inconveniences in agriculture, education, and health sectors. The Jaleshwar Provincial Hospital, considered one of Nepal's oldest hospitals, is in a dilapidated state. No one has paid attention to providing basic services to the people until now.”

Kameswar Malik, whom we met on the road from Jaleshwar to Matihani, also has plenty of grievances. He, who makes a living by selling artistic bamboo products, said he has no interest in the election. “What will any leader do for people like us who make a living through hard work?” he said. “There is inflation. The money earned from working all day is barely enough to cover two meals. There is no money to educate children, treat the sick, or celebrate festivals. We have been in this situation for decades.”

Malik stated that the hope that voting will bring any improvement in their standard of living has vanished. “I hear discussions in the village that the new candidates might do something,” he said. “Let's see what happens until the day of voting!”

Nepali Congress has nominated Bajrang Nepali as a candidate in Mahottari-3. CPN-UML has nominated Manoj Singh, JSP Nepal has nominated Minakshi Thakur, Rastriya Swatantra Party has nominated Ujjwal Jha, and the Communist Party of Nepal has nominated Rajkishor Sah. There are 41 candidates, including those from various parties and independents, here.