Elderly Candidate Hiranya Prasad Bhattarai Campaigns Door-to-Door in Jhapa-1 for Federal Parliament Seat

Jhapa. Hiranya Prasad Bhattarai, who is canvassing for votes in the rural settlements of Jhapa Constituency No. 1 by distributing pamphlets and manifestos carried in a bag, is the oldest among the direct candidates in the 14 districts of Koshi Province.

Bhattarai, a resident of Gadagalli, Mechinagar-1, is the candidate for the House of Representatives election scheduled for this coming Falgun 21 under the Nepal Kisan Mazdoor Party. Despite his advanced age, he does not appear tired at all while visiting voters' doorsteps to seek their support.

“I have already covered Bahun Dangi, which has 22,000 voters in the Mechinagar Municipality area, on foot,” he says while describing the election fervor, “The constituency I am contesting in has two municipalities and one rural municipality, totaling 21 wards. Since walking everywhere is not feasible, I will now use a vehicle to ask for votes.”

He is an ascetic figure not only by his appearance—with white beard and mustache and a vertical Chandan mark—but also in his disposition and behavior. Having a deep interest in religion and Ayurvedic science, he has published 14 books on medicinal herbs.

“I have been involved in a campaign advocating for the preservation of the originality of Nepali traditions and customs,” he explained the reason for becoming a candidate, “I received a request from the party saying that a social person like you should become a candidate and go to the parliament. I could not refuse and became a candidate.”

Bhattarai is currently busy campaigning door-to-door with 15 candidates, including those from 13 parties and two independents, seeking votes from the 131,067 voters in Jhapa-1. This constituency comprises 15 wards of Mechinagar Municipality, wards 4, 5, 6, and 7 of Buddhashanti Rural Municipality, and wards 9 and 10 of Bhadrapur Municipality, totaling 21 wards.

Although his advanced age causes health issues with excessive movement, he is enthusiastically engaged in the election campaign. He says that the assurance of votes from new generation voters to the elderly brings him new vigor and enthusiasm, making him forget his age.

“Even the elderly say, 'Father, you have also come out in your old age, we will give you one vote,'” he recalls his interactions with voters while going door-to-door, “The senior citizens say they will vote for me because I am of their age. If everyone shows love and trust, I might win the election.” He believes that regardless of winning or losing, he has exercised his democratic right by contesting the parliamentary election.

Stating that most elderly people remain confined to their homes, he mentioned that by becoming a candidate, he has raised the issues of rights, welfare, and entitlements for senior citizens. A total of 90 candidates are in the electoral field for direct representation across the five constituencies of Jhapa district. There is no candidate older than him. He claims to be the oldest candidate nationwide in the direct election for the House of Representatives member scheduled for Falgun 21.

Looking at the list of candidates from the 14 districts of Koshi Province published by the Election Commission, he appears to be the oldest candidate in the province. The second oldest candidate in Koshi Province is Sher Bahadur Khatri, the Rastriya Janamorcha candidate from Okhaldhunga Constituency No. 1. Khatri is 80 years old. Man Bahadur Pulami Magar, a candidate from Nepal Janamukti Party in Jhapa-2, is also 75 years old.