Hetaunda 1 sees triangular competition

Hetaunda, Nov. 9

Election in Constituency 1 of Makwanpur district, 85-km south of Kathmandu, that also includes the Capital of Bagmati Province is witnessing a battle among the political veterans.

Candidates of CPN-UML, Kamal Thapa, Nepali Congress, Mahalaxmi Upadhyaya (Dina), and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Dipak Bahadur Singh who are considered top potentials by the local people are seasoned politicians.

President of RPP (Nepal) Thapa has been active in politics for the last four decades and has held different ministerial portfolios in the governments in the past, including Home Minister during King Gyanendra's rule about two decades ago, and deputy prime minister in the governments led by the NC, CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN-UML at various times. He has been contesting almost every election in the last four decades and won twice. This time he is contesting the election with the symbol of the UML.

Likewise, Upadhyaya had contested three elections after the restoration of democracy in 1990 but never won except a win as a Nepali Congress representative from proportional representation category in the then Constituent Assembly. She is the single woman candidate in the constituency.

Singh has fought local elections twice as well as parliamentary elections but never won a seat.

Interestingly, although people know less about Swatantra Party's Taka Raj Thapa, some youth said they would vote for the 'bell' – the election symbol of the party.

Constituency 1 of Hetaunda district comprises of Bagmati and Bakaiya rural municipalities, four wards of Makwanpurgadhi Rural Municipality and 15 wards of the Hetaunda Sub-metropolis which is the Capital of Bagmati province as well. Of the 40 wards in this constituency, the UML had won 15 wards in the local elections held in May this year, NC secured victory in 14 wards, MC in 10 wards and CPN (Unified Socialist) in 1 ward.

It means the ruling coalition won altogether 25 wards and UML 15 wards while the latter couldn't secure its victory at the top of the local bodies. Hence, if the coalition remains true to its spirit, Upadhyaya could draw a clear victory. But locals said that the candidacy of Dipak Bahadur Singh from the RPP and frustration in the local cadres of the coalition parties had created doubts about it.

Coalition complications

"What I see is it is difficult for Maoist voters to cast vote for NC candidates. People are in a fix, those who have been voting for the NC don't want to vote for Maoist candidates and vice-versa," said Aita Singh Jimba from Padam Pokhari of Bagmati-8. Likewise, cadres of NC and CPN (Unified Socialist) were tortured by the MC and they haven't forgotten it, said Krishna Bahadur Lopchan who is from Bagmati-8.

Meanwhile, candidates have begun to reach to the voters in the remote areas in their constituency like Bagmati and Makwanpurgadhi rural municipalities. Many of them have been contacting the voters via phone calls. Young voters like Jimba, Lopchan and Punam Thapa, who runs a shop at Manas Road in Hetauda-2, consider young leaders and candidates less corrupt, independent and fearless.

Padam Nidhi Dahal, 83, who first voted in the elections in 1957 and has voted in every election held in the country even during the Panchayat era, said although he fulfilled his duty as a citizen of the country by voting in the elections, it had never been a satisfying job. "So I switched among the parties and candidates," he chuckled.

 

Landless squatters biggest issue

Management of the landless families seems to be one of the major issues here. More than 80 per cent people in Bagmati are landless and they are waiting for the land-ownership papers, said Anup Rai from Pathibhara of Bagmati. Other development issues are unemployment both in the villages and cities, upgrading of roads, and health facilities in the rural areas.

Bishwo Raj Nepal of Hetaunda-9 also maintained that unemployment in the industrial city is a shameful thing so the leaders must think about addressing it.

Similarly, inhabitants of Kalapani, Ward 14 of the sub-metropolis, said that embankment and flood control programmes were needed in the rivers flowing from Chure hills. The seasonal rivers that only flow during the monsoon have posed a great threat to the life and property here. Keshar Rumba, a local, said that it is an immediate need for them.

However, people complained that the leaders who were elected in the past polls did not return to discuss the issues with the public and tried little to address them. "I had called my leaders more than a dozen times but he never picked up the call nor called me back. We want a leader who listens to our demands and solves our problems," said Sujan Rijal of Hetauda-4, Children Park.

Rijal said that he would not vote on the basis of any political party but vote for leaders who have good and clean background and have been involved in social service and development.

Likewise, Bhagwati Adhikari, who runs a tea stall at the Main Road, near Buddha Chowk in Hetauda, said that she had strong objection to the growing corruption, inflation and liquidity crunch. "It’s not only the local issues that we should be concerned about, the national agenda should also be the priority of the candidates as well electorare," she said.

 

Candidates for the HoR election in Constituency 1 of Makwanpur

S.N.	Name of Candidate	Political Party
1.	Kamal Thapa	CPN-UML
2.	Malaxmi Upadhyaya (Dina)	Nepali Congress
3.	Indra Man Thing	Janata Samajwadi Party, Nepal
4.	Dipak Bahadur Singh	Rastriya Prajatantra Party
5.	Santa Lal Vel	Nepal Workers and Peasants Party
6.	Rupak Lama	Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Nepal
7.	Sangin Shrestha	Maulik Jarokilo Party
8.	Dipendra Chand Thakuri	Hamro Nepali Party
9.	Krishna Prasad Dahal	CPN (Marxist Leninist)
10.	Yubaraj Lama	Mangol National Organization
11.	Surendra Bhattarai	Nepali Congress (BP)
12.	Pancha Lal Tamang	Sachet Nepali Party
13.	Man Bahadur Dahal	Janasamajwadi Party Nepal
14.	Taka Raj Thapa	Rastriya Swatantra Party
15.	Aitaram Tamang	Independent
16.	Subhash Poudel	Independent

Source: Election Commission Nepal

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 November 2022. Joint reporting with Rammani Dahal in Makwanpur.