There is white snow on the surrounding high mountains including Putha, Sisne and Churen Himal. Even though the first week of Falgun has passed, there is no sign of the cold easing in the settlements east of Rukum anytime soon. However, the excitement of the approaching general elections has heated up the atmosphere.

Candidates of various parties who are reaching their homes and yards are interacting with the residents here. At this time, the candidates are seeking votes, while the locals have prioritized the development issues of their villages.

Former Prime Minister and Nepali Communist Party coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal is the candidate from Rukum East this time, so there is a bit more discussion here than before. The Congress has nominated Kusumdevi Thapa, who was previously a federal MP from the proportional representation system, as its candidate. UML central member Lilamani Gautam is the candidate. With this, a total of 11 candidates from parties including the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Janamorcha and Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party are in the election fray.

Dahal, the NCP candidate who visited the main places of all three municipalities in the district and interacted with the voters, is returning to Kathmandu on Thursday. After meeting the voters, he said that the residents here have demanded the expansion and upgrading of roads the most.

‘Roads are the first demand of the people here. Along with concrete and suspension bridges, there is also a special emphasis on the need for government investment in the sectors of health, education, production growth, employment, energy and tourism,’ Dahal said, ‘It is not that nothing has happened here in the past. The governments of all three levels and the previous people’s representatives have done a lot to make the people happy and develop the district from the previous situation. But this is not enough.’ He said that he felt that the government’s steps for the development of Rukum East should be more dynamic.

Congress candidate Thapa, who is busy with election campaigning, spoke about the public’s complaints that since 2064 BS, only one party (former Maoists) has been winning from this region continuously, but they have not been able to fulfill the expectations of the people here. ‘Although I have also been an MP before. But since the proportional representation MP did not complete that term, I could not work as planned. That is why I want to complete the remaining tasks by being directly elected,' she said, 'Basic development has become the first demand of the people here. And now I insist that it should be fulfilled.'

UML candidate Gautam, who is interacting with voters of Puthauttarganga Rural Municipality and various wards of Bhume Rural Municipality, said that the people want development with good governance at this time. 'This time, the residents of Rukum East are also saying that they want a change from the status quo,' he said.

Gautam, claiming that he is very knowledgeable about the demands and needs of the people here because he is a resident of the district, has also made comments targeting NCP candidate Dahal, saying that voters will not trust the guest candidate this time.
Road facilities have not been reached in many wards of Rukum East Sisne Rural Municipality-1 and 2 and Puthauttarganga Rural Municipality, the only mountainous district in Lumbini Province. The roads that have been built are also of poor quality. The basic needs of the locals have not been met as expected.