Urgen Lama of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality-4 has come to Kathmandu for special work. He is worried about how he will return home. He has come to return in mid-Chait. However, since the election is scheduled for Falgun 21, he is deeply worried about how he will go to vote.

‘Even when there is normal cloud cover in Upper Dolpa, it snows. The roads are closed due to snow. The snow melts all at once around mid-Chaitum. If you go in Falgun, you risk dying from frostbite and extreme cold,’ he said. ‘Every winter, some people come to the city for treatment. Some come to visit children and some come for pilgrimage. Not only that, they also come to Lower Dolpa to graze their livestock.’

He said that when the Election Commission also fixed the election date across the country based on the situation in Kathmandu, the residents of the Himalayan region are starting to lose their precious voting rights. Like Lama, many voters in Upper Dolpa are of the opinion that the election date should be postponed.

Nepali Communist Party candidate Dhan Bahadur Budha said that most of the people in Upper Dolpa have left their places for special work. ‘Most of the voters in the three municipalities of Upper Dolpa are in Lower Dolpa and outside the district. The snowfall makes it impossible to return to the villages during the election period. The Election Commission is also unlikely to transport everyone by helicopter. In that case, it seems that the election in the mountainous region will have to be postponed,’ said Budha. He said that it would be appropriate to postpone the election by two months for the high mountainous regions including Dolpa and hold it in Jestha. _{Nepali Communist Party candidate Dhan Bahadur Budha}

Snowfall occurred throughout the district on Saturday in Dolpa. After a few days of changing weather, snowfall accompanied by rain occurred throughout the district. There has been even more snowfall in Upper Dolpa, located in the northern part of the district.

Chief District Officer Junu Dhakal said that Saturday’s snowfall in Upper Dolpa, which usually snows as soon as the clouds gather, has added an additional challenge to the upcoming election. ‘The snow that fell earlier was still there.’ Saturday has been added again. Due to this, the election preparations have been challenged. Election materials will be sent by helicopter, but how to take the missing voters, election workers, and security personnel to Upper Dolpa has become a matter of concern,' said Pradya Dhakal.

She says, 'The people's representatives of the three local levels in the upper area have expressed concern about how to take the people's representatives who have fallen into the valley due to various works. This is also our concern.'

'If we get rough figures on how many people have left within a week, we will coordinate with the higher authorities accordingly,' she said. People's representatives say that due to Saturday's snowfall, up to two feet of snow has accumulated in the highlands of Upper Dolpa.

The chairmen of She-Phoksundo, Dolpobuddha and Charkatangsong rural municipalities have already submitted a memorandum to the District Election Office and the Chief District Officer two weeks ago demanding the postponement of the election.

She-Phoksundo rural municipality chairman Dhawa Sumduk Gurung said that if the state forces the election on the current date, many voters in Upper Dolpa will be deprived of their voting rights.

‘To reach their municipality, one has to cross lakes higher than 5,300 meters.’ Due to frequent snowfall, snow has accumulated on the roads, which makes it difficult for people to stand. In such a situation, how can voters who have come down from the valley reach Upper Dolpa on 21 Falgun and vote?’ he asked.

‘I myself am a responsible person of the rural municipality. I cannot go to the upcoming election myself.’ At my age of 45, the election was not held at such an inappropriate time. I find it impossible to hold the election on the scheduled date.'

He believes that the Election Commission and the government should take responsibility for the fact that voters who missed out on voting, which is among the biggest donations, are missing out. With the onset of winter, some people from Upper Dolpa have moved to the suburban areas along with Lower Dolpa to escape the cold, for medical treatment, and other work, so the people's representatives have demanded that the upcoming Falgun 21 election be postponed, according to the District Election Office, Dolpa.

Work has been underway to collect details of all the three municipalities for a week. Upper Dolpa is still not connected to the national road network. One has to walk from the district headquarters Dunai for three days to a week. In addition, since there has been heavy snowfall since Kartik, internal movement is blocked by thick snow on the roads leading to Upper Dolpa before Chaitra.