The northern region of the Himalayan district of Dolpa faces challenges in holding the House of Representatives elections scheduled by the government on 21 Falgun.

The 23 polling stations in the geographically remote Upper Dolpa are facing challenges in conducting the election as per the schedule.

Heavy snowfall starts in the Upper Dolpa region since Kartik. This time too, the snow that fell in Kartik has not melted yet. Due to which thick snow has accumulated on the roads leading to Upper Dolpa. Residents of Upper Dolpa say that there will be a bitter cold winter in that region and heavy snowfall until Magh. 

There are three local levels in Upper Dolpa, namely Shey-Phoksundo, Dolpobuddha and Charkatang rural municipalities. 'If helicopters are not fully used for the 23 polling stations in 21 wards of those municipalities, it will be very difficult to conduct the election on the scheduled date,' said DSP Ruk Bahadur Khadka of the District Police Office, Dolpa.

He said that there is no alternative to using helicopters for the upcoming elections in the mountainous districts of Karnali including Upper Dolpa. 'It seems that helicopters will have to be used as a last resort to bring the necessary materials, deployed employees and all types of security personnel for the election. Without a helicopter, it will be difficult to hold the election,' said Khadka.

In previous years, since the elections were not held during heavy snowfall, it was the practice to send only employees and election materials by helicopter and send security personnel on foot. This time, the election has been scheduled before the end of winter. 'By mid-Falgun, the roads leading to the polling stations in the Himalayan region are closed due to snow,' said DSP Khadka. 'In case it becomes difficult to breathe due to snow, oxygen cylinders are also required at each polling station.'

A temporary policeman died of snow in the 2079 local level elections here. Since the elections are being held during the cold season this time, locals have suggested that a helicopter should be kept ready for emergency rescue. People's representatives in the area have also expressed concern about holding elections in Upper Dolpa. "It is very difficult to send employees and security personnel to the election according to the schedule set by the government. Even if the government uses helicopters to conduct the election, this is not the right time to hold the election in the Himalayan region," said Pemma Dharke Gurung, vice-chairman of Dolpobuddha Rural Municipality. He said that even if they go by helicopter from Lower Dolpa, there is a risk of getting sick as the oxygen in that area is low. He said that it is not scientific for the government to try to hold a single-phase election in the Himalayan region during winter. In winter, more than 10 percent of the residents of Dolpobuddha Rural Municipality go to Lower Dolpa, Kathmandu and other places for health treatment, to escape the cold, etc. "They will return all at once in the second week of Chaitra. Now how will they find time to vote on the specified date? Since it is difficult to reach from Lower Dolpa on foot at that time, it seems that those voters will be missed," he said.

It takes up to a week to reach some settlements in Upper Dolpa from Lower Dolpo. Locals say that since the national road does not reach, they have to walk and cross mountains that are more than 5,000 meters high to reach Upper Dolpa.

People's representatives of Upper Dolpa say that it is not geographically scientific to try to hold elections all over the country at once, including the mountainous region. Pemma Wangchen Gurung, vice-chairman of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality, also said that it is impossible to hold elections in the mountainous region at the time set by the government. 'At this time, about 20 percent of the citizens of their rural municipality descend to the valley to escape the winter.' They will return in Chait. The election is scheduled for Falgun 21,' he said. He said that since Upper Dolpa is like a natural prison due to snowfall from Mangsir to Chait, managing the election at this time will be difficult due to geographical challenges.

According to District Election Officer Dilkrishna Shrestha, holding elections in the mountainous region at this time is a complex issue. He says, ‘It has been about a month since I was transferred. In discussions with stakeholders, our office also expressed the opinion that it would be very difficult to hold elections in the three municipalities of Upper Dolpa. The weather conditions are really complicated to hold elections. It is possible to hold elections using helicopters, but there are also geographical challenges.’

Chief District Officer Bhimraj Koirala said that it is the responsibility of all of us to overcome any challenges and hold elections on time, and there is no alternative to using helicopters for that.