Manang Election Heats Up: Candidates Focus on Tourism, Infrastructure, and Climate Change Ahead of Polls

Manang. Nineteen days remain until the House of Representatives election. As the election nears, candidates are intensifying their campaign activities. Candidates are striving to secure votes by presenting their respective agendas to the voters.

Competition in this constituency will be among three parties: Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (UML), and Mongol National Organisation. These competing parties have put forward tourism, infrastructure development, and climate change as their main agendas for Manang.

Nepali Congress House of Representatives candidate Tek Bahadur Gurung states that Manang's primary source of income is tourism, and infrastructure development is essential for it, thus prioritizing the development of easy access. He says, "Manang is a remote area. Road access is crucial for its infrastructure development. It has still not been made easy. Therefore, I have prioritized this issue."

He mentions the necessity of promoting the tourism business, which is the main source of income, and making access routes for tourists easier. Candidate Gurung says, "Manang is one of the last districts in the country to receive road access, but even now, Narpabhumi is not accessible by road." He adds, "If this area can be connected to the road network, more tourists will come. This will increase Manang's income." The goal is to increase the income level by connecting the adventurous, historical, and religious areas here with tourism.

Candidate Gurung states that he plans to make Manang a hub for hydropower projects, which is important for increasing the country's income level. Among the lakes and ponds here, Tilicho Lake is a place that needs to be linked with religious tourism. However, he plans to promote it as religious tourism even though it attracts world tourists. He states that since the Himalayan region is more affected by climate change, he has put forward an agenda to address it. He says, "It is necessary to make locals aware of the solution to its impact and highlight it in parliament." He adds, "The agenda has been set with the goal of protecting the natural beauty here from its impact."

Similarly, CPN (UML) candidate Yashoda Subedi Gurung states that she will promote tourism, which is Manang's main source of income. She said, "Nature, culture, and adventure tourism have a global identity." She added, "Tourism is the backbone of prosperity. The goal is to conserve it and build alternative trekking routes."

Candidate Gurung states that building alternative trekking routes is a priority because the world-famous Annapurna Circuit is affected by road expansion. She says, "The goal is to promote Tilicho Lake, Ice Lake, and other lakes and ponds here, as well as Thorong La Pass, Larkey La Pass, and Kangla Pass as major tourist areas." She adds, "This is what will make Manang prosperous."

Competition in this election in Manang will be among the old parties. The main competition in Manang will be between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML). In the House of Representatives election of 2079 BS, out of a total of 6,779 voters, 4,827 votes were cast. Congress's Tek Bahadur received 2,575 votes. UML's Polden Chopang Gurung received 2,247 votes. In the proportional representation category, Congress received 2,430, UML received 2,191, Rastriya Swatantra Party received 146, CPN (Maoist Centre) received 133, JSP received eight, and Janamorcha received two votes.

This time in Manang, there are a total of 7,000 voters, with 3,623 women and 3,377 men, according to the District Election Office. They will vote through 29 polling centers. The competition in this election appears different from the previous one. CPN (UML) and RPP have supported the Congress. The main competitor in this election is the Nepali Communist Party.