After traveling about 65 kilometers from the district headquarters Chautara, one reaches Dipu, Tega, Tembathan, and Gumbathan of Jugal Rural Municipality.

Voters in this region with its remote geography and weak infrastructure have been tired of repeated election promises for decades.

Locals complain that candidates reach villages with manifestos in federal and provincial elections, but the implementation is weak. ‘Everyone returns to us with only promises, but we do not see any real development,’ said Mingmar Lama of Gumbathan, Jugal-3. ‘Earlier, it was difficult to see the face of the leader.’ Although significant work has been done from the limited budget of the local level, the work that should have been done by the union has not been done.’

In Sindhupalchowk-1, UML’s Saresh Nepal, Congress’s Jung Bahadur Lama, NCP’s Madhav Sapkota, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Bharat Prasad Parajuli, and RPP’s Rammani Neupane are in the fray. Most of these candidates have returned to these remote settlements with promises of road upgrading, employment, and construction of religious infrastructure. "We have made demands like blacktop and employment to make the road easier," said local Pema Sherpa. A week ago, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) candidate Parajuli, who reached Gumbathan in Jugal, sought votes with a commitment to make the road easier and build structures like the Gumbathan. The locals welcomed him by dancing and performing puja in the traditional style, citing his commitment and new face.

As the road is not in good condition, pregnant women, those in labor and seriously ill patients are still dependent on risky journeys. Earlier, two people lost their lives and one went missing in the Tega Phadke and Neshamkhola areas due to the lack of suspension bridges. Locals say that even though the bridge has been built, the risk of floods and landslides remains. Two years ago, electricity was extended to Kyangsing, Ambakharka and Gumbathan. Now, electricity has reached Tembathan.

The 36-megawatt capacity Bramhayani Hydropower Project under construction in Jugal-3 has opened the road track in coordination with the rural municipality. Earlier, citizens in sick and emergency situations were forced to charter helicopters. This time, there is some enthusiasm among voters.

Since the 2079 elections, the Election Commission has designated polling stations in the village, so the obligation to walk for hours to vote has been eliminated. The District Election Office has stated that a polling station has been set up at Tembathan Basic School for 227 voters from Tega, Tembathan and Gumbathan in Jugal-3. According to Rural Municipality Chairman Resham Syangbo, earlier, voters had to walk for half a day carrying seven bags to reach the polling station. When the polling station was far away, only a few representatives would go to vote collectively,' he said.

But about 30 families from Dipu and Sanglung in Jugal-2 are still having to face the same hardships. They have to walk all day to reach Golche to vote. According to the District Election Office, there are 274,998 voters in Sindhupalchowk.