We used to vote based on what the village panch and influential people said. I gave my first vote to Bhakta Bahadur Shahi and he won and became the Pradhan Panch. I was happy to win because it was my first time voting. Even though we didn't know anything, everyone in the village was happy.
चुनाव एक नेताको जित–हारको विवरण मात्रै होइन
What you should know
– Chandra Kumari Rai (88 years old) Barah Kshetra, Sunsari
This year’s elections seem different from the previous ones. When the election season came, there was a commotion throughout the village, flags, posters and rallies used to make the village colorful. But this year is a little quieter. This election is special for me because I don’t know whether I will survive until the next election or not.
I remember my first voting experience a little. I was born in Belhara village of Dhankuta, moved to Madhesh after marriage, and now I live in Barah Kshetra Municipality-7, Bange Bazaar. I was 27 years old when I voted for the first time around 2020-2022. There was a panchayat system, there was no free environment. Political awareness and participation were more difficult for women than men. We used to vote by marking only the A and B symbols.
I voted for the first time from Nagar Tappu in Mahendra Panchayat. Even then, there were rallies during elections, but it was difficult to make independent decisions. Voters were made by simply taking names from government employees or knowledgeable people. We voted based on what the village panch and influential people said. I gave my first vote to Bhakta Bahadur Shahi and he won and became the Pradhan Panch. I was happy to win because I was voting for the first time. Even though we did not know anything, everyone in the village was happy.
In 2042, a huge flood in the Koshi River washed away our village. Houses were flooded, farms were destroyed, and lives were at risk. The Pradhan Panch allowed us to live in Bange in Mahendranagar. The trust between the villagers and the leaders saved our lives. The pain of the flood is still in my memory. Later, the party leaders promised to provide compensation, but nothing has been received so far.
Later, a multi-party system came to the country. Party leaders started asking for votes from house to house. The process of identifying election symbols, making assurances and influencing voters increased. But in the initial days, it was difficult to understand the voting process. I once stamped all three symbols - sun, tree and plough, and I did not repeat that mistake in subsequent elections. And, during elections, there would be a whole slogan/rally, party flags would be hung from house to house. We would also go to election meetings. Leaders and workers would go door to door to ask for votes. They would come to the house and give money saying 'vote'. Then people would vote on that symbol.
I don't know how many elections I have voted in so far, but I have never missed a single one. During elections, leaders would go door to door, but they were not very interested in politics. We women used to go only to vote, and that too, we would return with a stamp on our ballot. I must have voted 12 or 13 times. I feel like I voted every time. I voted more for UML. They said they would provide old age allowance and services. That's why I voted for Surya. People I knew in the village taught me how to vote. We used to vote only by looking at the symbol. I was not literate, but I understood that my vote would make a difference in the future of the country. We used to vote without knowing the leader. My nephew went missing during the conflict. In speeches, the leaders said they would look for him but they never found him. They only promised, but he has not been found yet.
I didn't know what politics was, but I understood that I should vote. I used to think that my vote didn't make much difference, now my grandchildren suggest voting for a new party. I don't know which party to vote for. I have seen the political environment in Nepal from Panchayat rule, people's movement, multi-party democracy, Constituent Assembly elections and Federal Democratic Republic, I used to be afraid to vote, now I can vote with confidence, I don't feel afraid.
I am old, it is difficult to reach the polling station. It is difficult to walk, I can't stand for long. In the previous elections, they came to take me from house to house in a car. I had reached the polling station and voted. This time too, I will go to vote, with my grandchildren. Earlier, voting was done based on the advice of the village panch or influential people. Voting under pressure and influence did not give me satisfaction. Now it is not like before. Family members suggest voting for change. Now I vote for whatever they say. ‘We should vote for the new party, mother,’ they say. Now I will vote for whichever one is better. This year’s election is quieter than before. When the election was earlier, people would come to hang flags from house to house, there would be a lot of excitement. That’s not the case now. There is less noise in the election. Now they say a new party, so join it.
(Based on a conversation with Elina Rai)
