Balen Shah Takes Office: Hopes and Promises for Jhapa-5 Constituents as New Prime Minister
Biratnagar. Balendra (Balen) Shah, who contested from Jhapa Constituency No. 5 representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) with a detailed 'Manifesto' presented to the public, was elected with a massive mandate. Based on that public mandate, he has now assumed the position of the country's Prime Minister today.
Balen defeated CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa Constituency No. 5. The local residents of Jhapa have high expectations for development from Prime Minister Balen. Voters are confident that long-stalled old projects will be completed and new plans from the manifesto will be implemented.
The people of Jhapa-5 had emphasized the need for the completion of the long-stalled Dama-Chisapani road construction, the establishment of the Dama Industrial Park, and the prompt operation of the Dama View Tower. They also stressed upgrading the Dama Hospital to 300 beds and transforming Dama into an 'IT Hub' for youth employment. They also insisted on completing the 'Indigenous Stadium and Memorial Park' which is stalled in Kamal Rural Municipality, upgrading the Gauriganj minor customs post which is on the verge of closure, and resolving the issues of the landless and squatters. Balen had also formulated his manifesto incorporating these very issues raised by the local people.
Bheshraj Bhattarai, the regional chairman of the RSP, stated that a liaison office will be established to effectively address the demands, suggestions, and grievances of the people, and work will proceed from there.
What was in Balen's Promise?
Balen, who entered the election with the resolve to make politics a service rather than a profession, has now begun his real test. The attention of the entire nation is focused on how he will implement that very manifesto he distributed to the people, especially in his constituency.
It remains to be seen how the key agendas of Balen's manifesto will move forward now that he has become the Prime Minister.
Balen has given high priority to good governance in his manifesto. His first promise is to stand at the forefront of the parliament against malpractice and corruption. His manifesto included plans to establish an online grievance registration system in government offices and a digital dashboard to monitor the progress of development works. His resolve was to set a minimum wage for tea garden workers and amend labor laws. The 'countdown' has now begun for him to translate those commitments into practice as Prime Minister at a policy level.
To resolve the issue of the landless, squatters, and unplanned settlements, which is a major problem in Jhapa-5 and across the country, Balen gave an attractive slogan in his manifesto: forming a commission in 100 days and resolving the issue in 1,000 days. The thousand-day 'countdown' also began from today's date while he sits in the Prime Minister's chair. Many are keenly watching the implementation of his promise to establish a Land Bank to stop land fragmentation and digitize land surveys and maps.
Balen had very ambitious promises for education and health. His policy includes a skill program in education to prevent students from going abroad and a School Retention Program to bring the dropout rate to zero. Balen promised to establish the Koshi Ayurveda Academy in Kamal Rural Municipality (Lakhanpur), a polytechnic institute in Dama, and a Science Park in Dama-10. Now, it remains to be seen how he manages the budget for these initiatives.
He promised to upgrade Dama Hospital to 300 beds, reserve 10 percent of hospital beds free of charge for the poor and unclaimed patients, and implement a door-to-door health service program. Furthermore, he is committed to ensuring 24-hour free ambulance service.
In infrastructure, his plan to develop Dama as the IT hub of Eastern Nepal was very popular among the youth. Additionally, under 'Our Stadium, Our Identity,' the responsibility of constructing the Indigenous Peoples' Stadium, completing the Virat Buddha Park project, and bringing the Dama-Rabi-Chisapani road into operation rests on his shoulders.
Balen has promised to guarantee the support price for agricultural produce for farmers and establish a Gauridah agricultural storage center. Farmers are closely watching how he will implement plans such as opening bank accounts for every farmer with zero balance, implementing an agricultural insurance system, and providing subsidies on electricity, through the Minister of Agriculture.
Balen had promised to simplify the cumbersome process of obtaining citizenship in the name of the mother. He also put forward a plan to provide women with agricultural loans specifically for women and to build safe houses for women and children in all 28 wards.
Balen has gained immense public trust, but now it is his duty to fulfill every single point written in the manifesto. There is widespread interest in what action Prime Minister Balen Shah will take to fulfill promises ranging from enacting citizen-friendly laws in compliance with the constitution to local development in Jhapa-5, Chure conservation, and upgrading the Dama Gold Cup.
His tenure, as someone who came from an independent background to lead a party and become the executive head of the country, will answer these questions. The public holds his manifesto in their hands; now the turn to wait for the results has begun.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
