Election Fever Grips Makwanpur: Candidates Unveil Agendas Focusing on Infrastructure, Governance, and Local Issues

Hetauda. As in the rest of the country, there is a buzz surrounding the House of Representatives elections in both constituencies of Makwanpur. Candidates are on the doorsteps with their agendas.

Although some parties have organized large rallies, most parties and candidates are prioritizing door-to-door campaigning and meeting voters. Major parties have also published their written manifestos to secure favorable results in the general election.

Before the silence period, major parties and candidates are busy wooing voters by publicizing their respective resolutions and commitments. Infrastructure development, good governance, education, health, and solving the landless squatters' problem have become common agendas for almost all parties this time.

Almost all candidates in Makwanpur have prioritized the issues of landless Dalits, squatters, and those living in unplanned settlements. Resolving this long-pending problem, distributing land ownership certificates, and clearing legal hurdles have become a shared agenda for all parties.

There is consensus among candidates on the vision of developing Hetauda as an organized and modern city. Emphasis has been placed by all on constructing the Hetauda Ring Road, exploring alternative routes, ensuring property rights and fair compensation for citizens affected by road expansion, and a shared plan to upgrade rural roads to ensure year-round transportation.

Improving the quality of community schools, expanding technical and skill-based education, and the 'Study While Earning' program are priorities for most candidates. Regarding health, there is unanimity on expanding services at Hetauda Hospital, establishing hospitals with specialists in every local level, and providing free healthcare for the underprivileged.

The commitment to commercialize agriculture, ensure timely supply of fertilizer and seeds to farmers, and guarantee fair prices for produce is common. Specifically concerning Makwanpur, many candidates have included the agenda of legalizing cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use in their commitment papers.

All candidates claim to create opportunities for youth entrepreneurship and startups through concessional loans, skill training, and job creation to retain the young workforce within the district rather than seeking employment abroad. The expansion of industrial areas and promotion of local industries is also common to all, as is the commitment to conserve historic Makwanpurgadhi, build tourism infrastructure along the banks of the Bagmati and Rapti rivers, develop a 'Tourism Circuit' connecting religious and tourist areas, and preserve the language and culture of indigenous communities like the Tamang and Chepang.

The commitment to make service delivery technology-friendly and hassle-free, adopt zero tolerance against corruption, and establish good governance is mentioned at the beginning of all candidates' manifestos.

Congress's 'Electronic Governance' and Corruption-Free Service Delivery

Maha Laxmi Upadhyaya 'Dina' is the candidate for Makwanpur-1 and Buddha Lama for Makwanpur-2 from the Nepali Congress. They have published their commitments, incorporating the central resolution of the Congress along with separate local issues, emphasizing 'electronic good governance' and corruption-free service delivery.

The resolution includes constructing a Trauma Center in Manahari and initiatives for the legalization of cannabis and its commercial and medicinal production. They have mentioned plans in their commitment paper to focus on rural road infrastructure development and create programs to explore various sources for economic upliftment.

They have put forward plans to develop a 16-meter road in the main market area of Hetauda as a tourism route, and establish a government engineering college and an IT research center. Their commitment includes providing home-based health services to senior citizens above 70 years and commercializing agriculture through the '8 A's' (Adhuwa, Aalu, Akbare, etc.) campaign.

Constructing a Trauma Center in Manahari and initiatives for the legalization of cannabis and its commercial and medicinal production are their resolutions. They have mentioned plans in their commitment paper to focus on rural road infrastructure development and create programs to explore various sources for economic upliftment.

They have put forward plans to completely prohibit party-based division and politicization in public bodies, establish the rule of law with zero tolerance against corruption, develop investment-friendly laws and tax systems, connect youth to digital skills and self-employment through the 'Study While Earning' program, ensure free health services for all citizens by making the insurance program effective and linking education with skills, ensure the return of savings to depositors of problematic cooperatives and economic empowerment through strong cooperatives, ensure easy availability of fertilizer and seeds to farmers and guarantee fair market prices for produce, delivering 'fresh Nepali products to consumers at the farmer's price', bring urban facilities to villages, develop safe roads, and make hydropower a main source of economic earnings.

UML to Address Stability, Good Governance, and Buffer Zone Issues

Rameshwar Rana is the CPN-UML candidate for Makwanpur-1 and Mahesh Kumar Bartaula for Makwanpur-2. They have made national independence and stability their main agenda. They plan to prepare a master plan for the systematic development of Hetauda market along with upgrading rural roads.

The UML has put forward a plan to construct the Madan Bhandari Regional Stadium in Manahari, expand the Hetauda and Mayuradhap industrial areas, distribute land ownership certificates to squatters, strengthen the Madan Bhandari Institute of Health Sciences, and make youth aware of misleading information spread through social media.

Resolving the buffer zone problem, managing human-wildlife conflict, and readjusting buffer zone boundaries are included with priority. 'One Municipality - One Residential School' and the unique program 'Makwanpur Free from Scabies' are mentioned in their commitment.

They have put forward a plan to construct the Madan Bhandari Regional Stadium in Manahari. The UML has plans for the expansion of the Hetauda and Mayuradhap industrial areas, distribution of land ownership certificates to squatters, strengthening of the Madan Bhandari Institute of Health Sciences, and making youth aware of misleading information spread through social media.

Resolving the buffer zone problem, managing human-wildlife conflict, and readjusting buffer zone boundaries are included with priority. 'One Municipality - One Residential School' and the unique program 'Makwanpur Free from Scabies' are mentioned in their commitment.

CPN's Vision of 'Greater Hetauda' and Metropolitan Status

Bijay Gautam is the candidate for Makwanpur-1 and Labhshere Bista for Makwanpur-2 from the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). They have prioritized good governance and transparent service delivery in their commitment paper.

Their commitment includes preparing a master plan for tourism development in Thaha Municipality, Kailash Rural Municipality, and Indrasarovar Rural Municipality, and creating programs for increasing production through industrialization and modernization in agriculture.

They have put forward plans for infrastructure development, the use of technology in entrepreneurship, and tourism sector development. Their plan for the long-term development of Hetauda includes a 'Greater Hetauda Ring Road' and making Hetauda a Metropolitan City. They have included innovative agendas in their commitment paper such as constructing river corridors, providing fair compensation to those affected by highway expansion, and 'One Community Forest, One Enterprise'.

Their commitment includes preparing a master plan for tourism development in Thaha Municipality, Kailash Rural Municipality, and Indrasarovar Rural Municipality, and creating programs for increasing production through industrialization and modernization in agriculture.

The commitment of CPN candidates includes expanding the Hetauda and Mayuradhap industrial areas, promoting small and cottage industries, developing entrepreneurship among youth through concessional loans, conserving the historic Makwanpurgadhi Palace, establishing quality community schools and technical education centers, well-equipped health centers at the rural municipality level, programs targeting mothers-children and senior citizens, long-term plans for natural resource conservation and flood/landslide control, Chure conservation, promotion of green energy, and operating the 'One Community Forest, One Enterprise' program.

RSP's Digital Governance and Smart City

Prakash Gautam is the candidate for Makwanpur-1 and Prashant Upreti for Makwanpur-2 from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). They have emphasized digital good governance with the slogan 'Good Governance, Prosperity, and Development'. They focus on the systematic development of the Hetauda market area and development with an environmental concept.

Their commitment includes the concept of 'Skill/Employment' in the education sector through the 'Study While Earning' model and utilizing the skills of youth returning from foreign employment, expanding technical and digital education, and upgrading the provincial hospital. Their resolution is to expand the Hetauda market, develop the Chitlang-Daman-Markhu-Raksirang-Manahari Integrated Tourism Corridor, and make Hetauda and its surroundings a 'Smart City'.

The issue of permanently solving the problem of landless, unplanned settlers, and land without ownership certificates has been prioritized. Their commitment includes the concept of 'Skill/Employment' in the education sector through the 'Study While Earning' model and utilizing the skills of youth returning from foreign employment, expanding technical and digital education, and upgrading the provincial hospital. Their resolution is to expand the Hetauda market, develop the Chitlang-Daman-Markhu-Raksirang-Manahari Integrated Tourism Corridor, and make Hetauda and its surroundings a 'Smart City'.

They have put forward a plan to promote tourism based on local culture (Chepang, Tamang, etc.). Their commitment includes modernizing agriculture by ensuring seeds, fertilizer, irrigation, and market for produce, making government services transparent online, reforming public procurement and tax systems, arranging insurance and protective infrastructure to resolve human-wildlife conflict, formulating strict policies for safe foreign employment, and connecting youth to discipline and leadership development through sports, as well as emphasizing the study of technology through international scholarships for flood, landslide, and soil erosion control, and lightning risk reduction.

PrLOPA's Agenda from Cannabis Cultivation to 'Right to Recall'

Tej Prasad Upreti is the candidate for Makwanpur-1 and Santosh Bista for Makwanpur-2 from the Progressive Democratic Party (PrLOPA). They have committed to legalizing cannabis cultivation for medicinal use and opening processing industries.

Prioritizing education and health, they have announced free education up to class 12, a 15-bed hospital in every municipality, and ambulance service in every ward. Their main goal is to stop migration by creating employment through herbs, mining, and forest-based industries.

They have put forward political issues such as directly elected executive presidency, a 'Jan Lokpal' (People's Ombudsman) for corruption control, and ensuring the 'Right to Recall' to remove poor public representatives. They have committed to prioritizing the Kathmandu-Chitlang road as a national pride project, modernizing the Kulekhani-Pharping road, and initiating the construction of an expressway connecting Kathmandu-Thaha-Kailash to Chitwan and Pokhara.

Prioritizing education and health, they have announced free education up to class 12, a 15-bed hospital in every municipality, and ambulance service in every ward. Their main goal is to stop migration by creating employment through herbs, mining, and forest-based industries.

Their commitment includes ending the middleman system in agriculture, preparing a master plan for tourism development, controlling river erosion, establishing scientific agriculture systems, guaranteeing free education and health as fundamental rights of citizens, systematically developing the urban area of Hetauda, ending the double taxation system, developing a technology-friendly curriculum alongside free education, and establishing healthcare as a right rather than just a facility.