Sanjay Gautam of the Nepali Congress, who won the 2074 and 2079 elections from Bardiya-1, is in the fray to become an MP for the third time. Gautam, who is seeking votes to complete the unfinished work of the past, is being contested by 20 people, including Shalikram Adhikari of the UML, Bishnu Prasad Chaudhary of the NCP, Thakur Singh Tharu of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and Abdul Khan of the Civil Liberties Union.

Human-wildlife conflict is increasing in this constituency, which has 168,034 voters, and is seen as a major election issue in this area. Political parties and independent candidates are conducting door-to-door campaigns for the Falgun 21 elections. Here is an edited excerpt of a conversation between Congress candidate Sanjay Gautam and Kantipur's Jaisingh Mahara and Kamal Panthi : You have come to the fray again without fulfilling the promises you made to the people in the 2079 elections, what are the voters saying about your candidacy?

The voters have not complained that much. They also understand that I had prepared for the election for five years. I had to come to the election in two and a half years. What the voters know is that I could have done a lot, time did not cooperate, circumstances did not cooperate and I could not do everything I wanted. It could have, it is not that it did not want, it wanted but time did not support it .

Does the question of why your party, the Congress, has not been able to handle national politics arise ?

I have always been in favor of good governance and corruption from the meeting of the Central Committee of the Nepali Congress to the Parliament . My point was that the country should be taken out of a difficult situation and good governance should be given . I raised that point forcefully, the voters have understood . I played a role in what I did both within the party and in the Parliament . The current situation has come about due to the lack of good governance and increasing corruption .

Now we have to move forward based on the feelings of the youth . Which force emerged, which force discussed it, where have we reached ? There is general concern and interest in the situation in which our constitution is today . I had told the voters that at this time, there is no alternative to the Nepali Congress to get us out of this .

You have used a lot in national politics in these two and a half years. Forming a government together with UML and Maoists. Recently, you had a strong government of two big parties, but it could not handle it. You were also a partner in that. Are there no questions for you about this?

I am going to monitor it in a public way. It was a big mistake of the Congress for political leaders to contest the elections in alliance with the Maoists. We should not have gone into an electoral alliance. We should have gone with our own ideas, views, and agenda. I am not saying that it was only the Congress's mistake, the Maoists may have also been at fault. But the alliance breaking was a mistake. The collaboration that the Congress had with the UML, the government that was formed with the UML and the issue of amending the constitution by building a majority and keeping it as the number one agenda was another mistake in its parliamentary system.

Was it a bigger mistake than before?

If the first largest party and the second largest party came together to run the country, the opposition would definitely be weak. Mistakes were added to this mistake. The result of which is today. It is not my opinion that there was no political mistake in coming to this place. How I presented myself in Parliament, what my views were, how I am in the minority, why I could not prevail on my agenda or explain it to the party, you should understand that. I did not agree with both paths. The path of contesting the election in a coalition and the path of forming a government with UML.

You said that you did not agree with contesting the election from this coalition, but you won the 2079 election from the coalition, right?

I could not leave the party. I said that losing the election does not matter, politics should not be lost.

You are claiming to win, but now the people are saying that what should we vote for in the current situation and two and a half years ago?

I have not found the enthusiasm that should have been there among the voters during the election. A certain kind of thinking and thinking has developed among the youth. They want change, are against corruption and in favor of good governance. However, the youth lack experience.

We are in a difficult situation right now. Because on one hand there is an agenda, here is an environment. We will have to go in the middle, even if we don't go, we have no choice. There is a fear of losing this constitution and the achievements we have achieved so far. We are compelled to amend the constitution and move forward within this constitution. This election is also being held within the framework of the same constitution. Therefore, the people are not optimistic that any new, any immediate miracle will happen, that change will come.

You said that the youth and voters are not enthusiastic about the election, is it not about the election itself or are you not enthusiastic about a certain candidate ? 

I have looked at it as a whole rather than a specific party or individual . Now, if it has come with a new agenda, new issues and thinking, it is the Congress . We have come with new leadership from the special general convention recently and said that we will change the country . It is not a big deal to lie to the people and vote in your favor, it is a big deal to tell the people the truth . I am trying to move forward by telling the people the truth . A mistake was made, but without doubting the intention, it was a mistake made by this environment, that is why we are moving forward saying that this is our need .

You have included local issues in the manifesto you brought for the constituency, is the job of an MP to make laws or to build development ?

There are many local issues in my manifesto . There is a matter of conflict between humans and wildlife, do you call that a local issue or a national issue ? My district is the most affected by this. Nationally, the concept of community forests that we introduced after 046 has been implemented. The number of tigers has increased. Leopards have started coming out, human settlements have started entering. Is this a serious issue or not? It has caused us trouble at the local level. The education and health issues that I raised are also serious issues.

Now, instead of the understanding that this is a Westminster model parliament, we have an understanding that this parliament is our representative, that everything happens when it says it will, roads will be built, bridges will be built, development will happen, laws will be made, everything will be done by the MP. Therefore, what I also feel now is that the dissatisfaction with the work of the ward chairman is reaching me, the dissatisfaction with the mayor is also reaching me, the dissatisfaction with the province is also reaching me.

People do not know what Sher Bahadurji did in national politics or what Prachandaji did, what KP Oliji did. The anger of those leaders has reached me. Now what I have become is like a garbage container. I have come to collect everyone's dissatisfaction and assure them of what kind of delivery it will give. I have realized this. Now the level of people's awareness has increased, people's opinion gives good results.

Many voters have complained that the River Management Office, which was initiated by you, was abolished and transferred elsewhere, why couldn't you stop it?

I call it unfortunate. As a Nepali Congress MP, I had to raise this question when my own party was in government. I was also in opposition within the party. I did not like what I did not want, I opposed it. That is why when the river bridge was not built during the Nepali Congress's tenure, I said it in the parliament, I said it on the streets, I said it a second time.

That project was taken to Dadeldhura along with the Rajapur Irrigation Project. What a coincidence, I am the Congress MP, the MP of Dadeldhura, the party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. During my time, when the project was going from my district to my president's district, I said it in parliament. I also told my friends, but I could not stop it. Why couldn't I ask them now, there is no right answer to that by asking me. I also called on other parties in Bardiya. Come from your place, you protest, others did not listen either.

The people here are forced to go to Nepalgunj to pay transport tax, why wasn't that office in Bardiya?

At that time, the transport minister of the province was from the Maoists. They did not accept it if they kept it. It would have been easier for the people of Bardiya if there was a transport office here. Now I am trying to do that, and I will continue to try.

Another important problem of Bardiya is the customs checkpoint. The agreement made in Delhi on October 27, 2009 has not yet been implemented. Four checkpoints have been operational, but what is the reason why Gularia and Murtia checkpoints are not operational?

The issue you raised is still my main agenda. I am determined to operate it during my tenure. In the meantime, there have been coalition governments, Prachandaji has become Prime Minister twice, KP Oliji and Sher Bahadur Deuba have become Prime Ministers. When Sushil Koirala was Prime Minister, I also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and discussed this issue. The Rajnuwa to Magargadi road was built during his time by meeting and talking to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Narendra Modi. The project belongs to them. In fact, the work on that road was done with the mentality of opening the Rajnuwa checkpoint. I am still working on it. The customs office can be opened in Rajnuwa, Ganeshpur, but we need a checkpoint at the district headquarters. We are incomplete without a checkpoint. I have repeatedly said that we should take it forward.

While you are going to the elections, the Congress has also come in a new form. Gagan Thapa has become the president, and the leadership has come in a completely new leadership. How enthusiastic are the cadres and voters about the new Congress?

After the new leadership came, it has become a little easier to reach out to the cadres and voters. The cadres are excited, the youth are excited. I have contested four elections, and this year's elections have seen unprecedented unity within the Congress. The division that was visible in the Congress earlier is not visible now.

Former Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and some leaders from his party are not seen to be active in the elections, has this had any effect? ​​

I have not felt it at the district level yet. All my friends are involved. Kishore Singh Rathore is involved, while I am involved. We have said that this is not the time for arguments, debates, or intellectual entertainment. Kishore has also told me some sarcastic remarks. We have not allowed that to happen in Bardiya district and we will not allow that to happen. Because this fight is not mine, it is a fight for democracy, a fight for the constitution, a fight to see whether the achievements we have achieved will be lost or preserved. At this time, Congress workers are not allowed to do that. They are not allowed to misbehave by putting active members of the Congress in their pockets.

How do you view your competitors?

I have never seen them as competitors, I have seen them as allies. I have no competition, I am far ahead of them. There may be a three-way or four-way competition between them, but they have no competition with me. The people of Bardiya like me a lot, love me, trust me. I have deep faith in the people, voters and workers.

Sher Bahadur Deuba does not seem to be working hard in the elections today either. Regarding this, Congress President Gagan Thapa has also said, 'Everyone should be active, yesterday when you fought, others supported you, today others are fighting, you should support them.' But that has not had any effect either, has it?

Sher Bahadur Dai should now forget the past. He is the history of the Nepali Congress, he has suffered a lot, sacrificed a lot . He ran the party for a long time . Now he could not manage . He could not control the party a little in terms of maintaining good governance and controlling corruption . That also affects the division of the Congress . The workers who were polarized on both sides, then the interest group, the idea group, the interest group of transformation prevailed . The influence of that group was seen there . But now is not the time .