Flooding is the main problem of Rautahat residents, but 15 years after Madhav Kumar Nepal laid the foundation stone of the Bagmati River bridge at Badharwa, Durga Bhagwati-5, when he was the Prime Minister, it remains unresolved.
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A cadre meeting program was underway at the then Unified Socialist Party office in Gaur on 22 Jestha. The guest was former Prime Minister and then President of Unified Socialist Party and current NCP Co-Coordinator Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The speakers were speaking, while Chairman Nepal's mobile phone kept ringing. He picked up the phone saying, "It's just a moment." After the phone call, he started whispering to his close friends. Silence fell in the hall for a moment. On the very day he arrived in his home district, on 22 Jestha 2082, the CIAA had filed a corruption case against Nepal in the Patanjali land embezzlement case. Nepal cut short his program and returned to the capital.
After that, various criticisms began in Rautahat. Many people expected that Nepal would not be a candidate in the 2084 House of Representatives elections. He was talked about everywhere in the streets and tearooms. Nepal was happy when the Unified Socialist Party, of which he was the chairman, merged with the Maoists to form the NCP. His single name was recommended by the NCP in Rautahat-1. Nepal, who is in the parliamentary election field for the sixth time, is currently misleading voters by saying that "this is the last election."
Why former Prime Minister Nepal, who won under the guise of an alliance, has not stopped contesting elections despite being accused of corruption, has become a matter of public interest. Nepal, who was first nominated as a member of the National Assembly in 2048, won four times from Rautahat and Kathmandu, losing once. Nepal, who contested four elections from Rautahat-1 in 2056, 2064, 2070 and 2079, was defeated only in 2064. In 2074, he won from Kathmandu-2.
This time, he is competing with UML leader Ajay Kumar Gupta, Congress's Anil Kumar Jha, Janata Samajwadi Party's Yogendra Yadav, and Rashtriya Janata Party's Rajesh Chaudhary. Gupta was defeated by Nepal in 2070 and 2079. Jha, who is also a former minister, won from the Rastriya Janata Party in 2074. Recently, Sadbhavana Party President Jha joined the Congress the day before the candidacy registration and is contesting from this constituency. Jha, who entered politics in 2046, was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly through proportional representation in 2064. He has been a minister in the federal government twice.
From the two municipal heads in this region to the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province, Jha is claiming that he will win as both the provincial assembly members were elected by the Congress. Jha claims that since Congress President Gagan Thapa has become a candidate from Sarlahi-4, a district neighboring Rautahat, his impact will also be felt in this region.
Gupta of UML is in the election race as a strong candidate of the party. Gupta, who started politics from a Madhesh-centric party, has been the mayor of Gaur Municipality twice. Gupta, who became a candidate from Forum Loktantrik in 2070, was defeated by the then UML's Nepal by a narrow margin (338 votes). In 2079, Nepal defeated Gupta by 6,600 votes in an alliance with the Congress. This time, Gupta is confident of winning as he is not in an alliance with any party. He has made a permanent solution to the floods the main agenda of the election.
Another competitor, Chaudhary, contested the provincial assembly elections in 2074 from the Congress. In 2079, he contested as an independent after not getting a ticket in the province. This time, he has become a candidate from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In the 2079 elections, the RSSP's Mr. Suryadev Koirala got 163 votes in this constituency, but his deposit was forfeited. It seems that there will be a tough competition here for all four. Nepal won in 2079 with the strength of an alliance with the Congress and the Maoists by getting 33,522 votes.
Yadav, who became a candidate from the JSP Nepal, is also considered strong. Yadav is a former minister who won the 2074 provincial assembly. In the 2079 provincial assembly elections, he came third with 5,729 votes. This time, he has left the province and is running for the House of Representatives. Leaders close to him claim that if Yadav gets caste votes in a majority area, the result could go in his favor.
Sheikh Farman of Saruatha said that looking at the results of the previous elections, the influence of caste votes in this constituency was less. ‘It is not that there is no caste influence here,’ he said, ‘Our Muslim community is not less present, but in elections, not only caste is considered, but also the individual.’
Why former Prime Minister Nepal, who won under the guise of an alliance, has not stopped contesting the election despite being accused of corruption, has become a matter of public interest. After a case was registered against him in the special court, everyone assumed that Nepal would not contest the election. Even while the case was ongoing, he used to come to his home district and meet people and continue party activities. Nepal agreed to contest the election due to the support of his close friends. He claims that he has filed his candidacy this time as well because he has done a lot of development in the district. But he has said that this is the last election.
In the first Constituent Assembly election of 2064, he contested from Rautahat-6 (currently 4) and Kathmandu-2 and was defeated from both constituencies. In his constituency no. 1, independent candidate Baban Singh had won the election in 2064. Baban, who was involved in various crimes, surprised everyone by winning the election while underground. He had criminal cases against him in both Nepal and India.
Nepal, who left the constituency he won in 056 and moved to the UML stronghold of 6 in 064, was defeated by the then CPN-Maoist's Devendra Patel and Jhakku Subedi in Kathmandu-2. Nepal was shocked after being defeated in the UML stronghold. Nepal was later nominated to the parliament by the President in 2066. After UML MP Sushil Pyakurel was made an ambassador, Nepal was nominated in his place.
If we look at the results of 2056, Nepal, who was also the then UML general secretary, won with 22,868 votes. Bajrakishor Singh of the Nepali Congress got 10,757 votes.
Nepal, who won by such a large margin, changed constituencies in 064 and fell to 6. There is a large presence of the Pahari community in this constituency. In the second Constituent Assembly election in 2070, he got 8,361 votes, while his opponent Ajay Kumar Gupta (Forum Loktantrik) got 8,023 votes. Nepal won by a narrow margin of 338 votes. Baban Singh came third. He also won from Kathmandu-2. Later, he left Kathmandu-2.
After the UML-Maoist alliance in 2074, he fielded Satyanarayan Bhagat of the Maoists in his constituency. Nepal won from Kathmandu-2 as a candidate. Even during the alliance, Bhagat came third with 12,331 votes. Anil Jha of the Rastriya Janata Party won with 21,472 votes. Krishna Prasad Yadav of the Congress (currently the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province) got 15,874 votes. In Rautahat-1, both the then CPN-S and the Maoists seem to be strong. The heads of three municipalities are from the Nepali Communist Party. Nepal claims that it has a strong basis to win since 29 out of 41 ward chairmen are from the Communist Party.
Nepal, who has become the Prime Minister in a five-decade-long political journey, is facing an increasing challenge to continue his victory. Rautahat political analyst Binda Sahni says, ‘Looking at the recent political situation in the country, the country is not stable, in such a situation, there is no way to know whose politics will prevail.’ He said that although the electoral situation in the district was influenced by caste, political culture has stopped working now.
Nepal, who was the Prime Minister from 2066 to 22 Magh 2067, has been accused of not doing anything for the district. When he was the Prime Minister, in 2067, he laid the foundation stone of a bridge connecting Rautahat to the Bagmati River in Badharwa, Durga Bhagwati Rural Municipality-5, in his own constituency. But even after 15 years, the bridge has not been built. The locals have been blaming him for all this. 
When Nepal was the Prime Minister and in power, he faced widespread criticism for not being able to put pressure on those who were responsible for the bridge’s abandonment. The people of this region, who are forced to face the problem of flooding every year, have many questions about him. Nepal, which has been pressuring the construction company that won the bridge contract, has been giving explanations to the people. He used to avoid saying that he was drawing the government's attention to the flooding problem. He claims that he has spread a wave of development by building a nursing college, a polytechnic college, roads, bridges, and the Gaur-Chandrapur road in the district on his own initiative.
The Rautahat-1 election has become complicated amid Nepal's political image embroiled in corruption. The then Prime Minister of Nepal had directed the then Prime Minister of Nepal to approve the purchase of land in the name of Patanjali at a concession and to illegally sell it to a housing company within two months of the purchase. In 2066, Indian yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth and Ayurveda Company purchased 593 ropanis of land in Banepa, Kavre and sold 353 ropanis to a housing company.
Nepal, who was the Prime Minister from 11 Jestha 2066 to 22 Magh 2067, had decided on 18 Magh 2066 to allow Patanjali to purchase land within the limits. But less than two months later, on 6 Chaitra 2066, he had another decision from the Council of Ministers and given approval to sell it. Plotting has been done on the said land. The special court in the same case has ordered the withdrawal of the missile. Nepal was admitted to the hospital after his health deteriorated during the election campaign.
Rautahat is the lowest in the human development index of the eight districts of Madhesh Province. If we look at the human development index and literacy rate of the district, Rautahat is the lowest. Rautahat-1 includes wards 1 of Garuda Municipality and 6, 7 and 8 of Gadhimai Municipality. Gaur Municipality, Durga Bhagwati Rural Municipality, Rajdevi Municipality, Madhav Narayan Municipality and Yamunamai Rural Municipality. The mayor of Gaur Municipality is Shabmu Sah, elected by the NCP. In Rajdevi, the mayor of the city is also from the NCP, Bhikhari Prasad Yadav. The chairman of Durga Bhagwati Rural Municipality is Shambhu Singh of the NCP.
Shyam Yadav of the Congress is the mayor of Gadhimai. Baijnath Prasad Yadav of the Congress is the mayor of Madhav Narayan Municipality. Mohammad Saud of the Democratic Socialist Party is in Yamunamai Rural Municipality.
Rautahat-1, located in the southern part of the district, has a majority of voters of Madheshi origin. With 1 lakh 8 thousand 726 voters, this area has a large population of Yadav, Muslim, Teli, Brahmin, Tatma communities. Kurmi, Suthi, Malaha, Koiri, Dusad/Paswan, Bin, Kanu, Nuniya communities are also densely populated.
Rautahat is the lowest in the human development index of the eight districts of Madhesh Province. If we look at the human development index and literacy rate of the district, Rautahat is the lowest. According to the National Statistics Office, if we look at the poverty statistics in Madhesh Province, Rautahat is the poorest. The poverty rate in Rautahat is 32.33 percent.
Saptari has 25.37 percent, Siraha has 22.74 percent, Dhanusha has 20.10 percent, Mahottari has 24.01 percent, Sarlahi has 26.70 percent, Bara has 25.82 percent, and Parsa has 20.60 percent. Rautahat is also behind Mahottari in terms of literacy rate.
Mahottari has 54.6 percent and Rautahat has 57.7 percent, according to the statistics. The Human Development Index is an average of age, literacy, school-going age, and per capita income. Rautahat is a district with extreme poverty and a large number of illiterates, and has 16 municipalities out of 18 local levels. This district, which has the most municipalities in the country, has many problems with education, health, and a disorganized market. Poverty and illiteracy are the main problems of Rautahat.
All the parties that have become candidates in the elections have put forward slogans with special plans to save this area affected by the floods of the Bagmati and Lal Bakaiya rivers from floods. Leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who has been a policymaker for a long time and has made Rautahat his home district, said that he doubts the data released by the National Statistics Office on the poverty situation in Rautahat.
‘People in the district go to work for foreign employment, how did poverty arise? Everyone is still working. Secondly, the male-dominated mindset that is not generous towards women who are suffering from poverty also seems to be increasing poverty,’ he said, ‘We should form a team of experts and improve the areas where poverty is a problem. That is what I will do.’ He claimed that he has done a lot of work in the education and health sectors in the district.
All the parties that have become candidates in the elections have put forward slogans with special plans to save this area affected by the floods of the Bagmati and Lal Bakaiya rivers from floods. They are giving slogans to attract the new generation by making public the controversial Gaur Rice Mill playground in the district headquarters, including agriculture, education, health, job creation, and reform plans.
Locals of Durga Bhagwati are asking when the construction of the Badharwa bridge connecting Rautahat-Sarlahi will be completed. ‘Madhav Nepal did development, but even after it was very late to build a bridge, he could not put pressure on the concerned bodies,’ said Ram Narayan Singh, a local of Badharwa. ‘The talk of bridges only becomes a slogan in elections, how much will this matter be talked about now?’
