As the House of Representatives elections approach, candidates are reaching out to voters with their own agendas.

In Rukum East, candidates from 10 other parties are in competition with Nepali Communist Party (NCP) coordinator and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Who is trying to challenge Dahal.

Kusumdevi Thapa Magar from the Nepali Congress, Leelamani Gautam from the UML, Lakhan Kumar Thapa from the National Independent Party (RSWP) and Sandeep Pun from the Progressive Democratic Party (PRLP) are candidates in the district.

Similarly, Jyoti Roka Magar from the Mongol National Organization, Dharma Kumar Budha from the National Republic Nepal, Sheer Bahadur Budha from the Janata Samajwadi Party and Roshan Shah from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) are in the fray.

Kusumdevi Thapa, who has become a candidate from the Nepali Congress, is a resident of Puthauttarganga Rural Municipality-10, Taksera. She was elected as an MP through proportional representation in the 2079 elections and is in the running to enter parliament this time by being directly elected.

Thapa, who entered the election fray with a commitment to bring Rukum East, which has been neglected by the state, into the mainstream, said that she would emphasize tourism along with the regular development of the district. 'Rukum East, which is the only mountainous district in Lumbini Province, has a very good potential for commercial tourism. My main commitment is that it should be emphasized,' she said.

Similarly, UML's Gautam, another candidate in the fray with Dahal, said that he is aware of the demands and needs of Rukum East and will work to fulfill them. He said, 'My initiative will be to make Rukum East prosperous and Rukum East residents happy by emphasizing human development along with the physical development of the district. 'For this, I will try to move forward by emphasizing coordination and cooperation between all three levels of government.'

Similarly, Lakhan Kumar Thapa, who became a candidate from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), says that instead of making big promises and sharing everything, he will work to fulfill the small but unfulfilled needs of the people. ‘Many big things were done in the past, but the work could not be done.’ Due to which there is a lot of disappointment among the people. That is why we are in favor of working to fulfill the basic needs of the people,’ he said.

Sandeep Pun, the son of a martyr who lost his parents in the Maoist armed conflict, has become a candidate from the Pralopa party this time. Pun, who entered the election fray with Dahal, who was his own chairman until recently, has expressed his commitment to fulfill the dreams of the martyrs and address the needs of the people. ‘Yes, I am the son of a martyr.’ But this is not my only qualification. I am also a supporter of the Maoist movement and will move forward for the development of Rukum East by fulfilling the developmental gaps, especially among the youth, in the changing situation,' he said, 'I know the interests of the people here and the potential of this region well . To fulfill this, we need a vibrant generation like us.' 

Candidates from the Mongol National Organization, National Republic Nepal, JSP, and RPP are also promising to work for the overall development of the district from their respective places . 

Dahal, who left for the federal capital Kathmandu the day after registering his nomination, has not returned to the constituency . NCP Rukum East leader Keshav Rawal said that he plans to come to Rukum East by the end of Magh and meet as many voters in the district as possible . 

Congress candidate Thapa is also preparing to come to the district from Kathmandu . The remaining candidates have already started going door-to-door to meet voters. Except for Dahal, who is making promises to the voters by increasing his acquaintance, all the candidates have one agenda in common. That is, 'We are residents of this district. We can do a better job than the candidates who came from outside to contest the elections because of the problems here.' They are starting the conversation among the voters with this same point targeting Dahal.

Further emphasizing this issue, UML candidate Gautam has accused NCP coordinator Dahal of coming to Rukum East to win the election. 'He came to Rukum East looking for his safe place and will not come back in a hurry after winning. An example of this can be seen by looking at the areas he has won before,' he added, 'I am confident that the residents of Rukum will vote for me rather than Dahal, who changes constituencies every election, and we will win.'

Pralopa candidate Pun has said that Rukum has made a huge investment and sacrifice in the Maoist's armed struggle, and has accused the Maoists of not understanding that sacrifice and sacrifice. 'We are better than Dahal and are aware of the demands and needs here. At the same time, we understand the struggle of Rukum. We will fight to fulfill the people's demands by going to the parliament. We will meet the people from time to time by visiting the geography. Which is not possible with Dahal,' he said.

Rukum, which has a population of 57,960, was formed from the former Rukum district in 2074 after the former federalism. There are a total of 34,772 voters in this election. This region, which is the only mountainous district in Lumbini Province, is a legitimate area in terms of geography and language and culture.

In Rukum East, which also falls within the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, there is a pressing need to complete the under-construction Shahid Marg, develop and expand rural roads, develop local skills, arts and products commercially, and market them, provide easy access to health care, and implement effective plans for the advancement of the educational sector, said Tibra Gautam, head of Sisne Campus in Rukum East.