As the House of Representatives elections approach, election excitement is increasing in Sunsari-1. An edited excerpt of a conversation between Kantipur's Alina Rai and Gaurav Pokharel and Nepali Communist Party candidate Surya Bahadur Bhattarai (Manoj) about current issues, election competition and his commitments: You are currently busy going door to door with voters. What is the atmosphere like?

There is an encouraging atmosphere in this year's election. This election has been taken as a campaign to rise above party, caste or region and connect the geography and hearts of Sunsari-1. Voters want change. In the beginning, there was more talk of other parties, but now the atmosphere is gradually changing in our favor. The people will make me win by voting for the Nepali Communist Party's election symbol, the star.

Labor Culture Party Chairman Hark Sampang is also a candidate here, other parties including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have also filed their candidacies, who do you think is your main competitor?

The competition may be tripartite. However, this election is focused on the issue of stability and prosperity. We have put forward the agenda of a permanent government and corruption-free governance. We have a clear blueprint for the development and prosperity of Sunsari-1. Therefore, I believe that voters will choose stability. I will win the election.

In the previous local level elections, independent candidate Hark Sampang won, and there have been accusations that the old parties did not work. What do voters say to you?

That was an expression of people's dissatisfaction. In some cases, when parties fail to select the right candidate, voters look for alternatives. However, alternatives may not always be suitable. Now the people are looking for stable and responsible leadership.

Dharan's drinking water problem is considered very famous . How do you plan to solve it ?

Drinking water is a technical and long-term issue . The current requirement is about two crore liters of water daily . The problem will not be solved with a partial plan . We will bring a long-term solution through the central budget . There is a plan to find a permanent solution by studying the feasibility from sources like Koshi, Saptakoshi or Tamor . Our goal is to ensure that the drinking water issue does not become a vote-seeking issue in the upcoming elections .

You have come to the federal elections with the experience of a ward chairman . What did you learn while working at the local level ?

Roads, infrastructure and small schemes were implemented effectively  while in the ward. The work was done by making full use of the limited budget, which is why you received a large number of votes in the second term . However, I felt that a central-level initiative is necessary to solve big problems like drinking water, sanitation and regional connectivity . That is why I have now filed my candidacy for the federal parliament .

How confident are you of your victory?