Voters in this area, which is located in the former Dhiyal VDC, adjacent to Bara, are unaware of the election except for the information that it is taking place.
What you should know
As the February 21 House of Representatives elections approach, activity is increasing from city markets to rural settlements.
Political party leaders, activists and independent candidates are busy meeting voters. From social media to tea shops and settlements, there is a debate about who to vote for and what kind of representative to choose. However, some settlements of Bakaiya Rural Municipality-2 under Makawanpur Area No. 1 have not been touched by election activities.
Voters in this area, which is in the former Dhiyal VDC connected to Bara, are unaware except for the information that the election is being held. Local residents say that they have not been able to find out who is the candidate from their area this time.
Indra Bahadur Thing, 65, of Dhiyal Dobhan, said that although they learned about the election from the news, they have not been able to find out who the candidates have been. 'We know the names of the leaders who have contested the election in the past, but we do not know who is new this time,' he said, 'No one has come to ask for votes. No one has even said anything.'
The people who won the election are upset that they have not yet received the land and house documents for which they have worked hard. ‘During the election, they go to get votes saying that they will give them the documents, but they do not come back after winning,’ he said.
The residents of this settlement are not enthusiastic about the election and the parties. Deepak Syangtan of Dhiyal Kalapani expressed his anger and said, ‘The village is constantly plagued by floods, landslides and lightning during the rainy season. No leader who has won has listened to our pain so far.’
In the settlement located in the southern part of Bakaiya Rural Municipality, there is a problem in moving to the municipality’s Hattisudhe, Jureli and Chhatibhan markets due to the heavy rains during the rainy season. The risk of lightning is also high in the settlement without the documents. ‘No matter who wins, our problems remain the same,’ said 59-year-old Purna Bahadur Lama of Thakal Chaur, ‘We could not even get the title deeds of the house and land we live in, nor was the road built.’
He has been living in Thakal Chaur since 2029 BS and has not been able to get the title deeds yet. Residents of Tin Bhangale, Keraghari, Tangtang, Saraswati, Dobhan, Kalapani, and Thakal Chaur in Bakaiya Rural Municipality-2 have not been able to get the title deeds yet.
There are 454 households in various settlements in the ward where the Tamang community resides. Of these, only 51 people have the title deeds of their houses and land. The residents of 403 households do not have the ownership documents of their huts and the land they have dug with their sweat. Some of them have been living there since 2021 BS, but they still do not have a house. They have to walk for 5 hours to reach the center where their own rural municipality office is located.
Physicists have revealed the existence of a uranium mine in the area after a long study. Bimal Pandit, head of the health post, said that most of the residents living around the uranium mine and using the water of the river flowing through the area are suffering from various skin diseases, as well as constant headaches, ringworm, fever and vomiting.
No candidate has reached the village settlement located at the foot of Chure as of Saturday. ‘We will collectively present the red papers and other problems of the village to the candidates who come to seek votes,’ said Dil Bahadur Baiwa, ‘We will vote for the one who we think will solve our problems.’
There are 23 candidates in Makawanpur-1, including 13 from 13 parties and 10 independents. Four of them are women. There are 62 polling stations and 178 polling centers in 40 wards in the constituency. Out of 158,435 voters, 78,810 are women voters.
