The geography of the district's constituency number 1 extends from the banks of the Rapti River in the south to the top of the Kamingchuli hills in the north. In this constituency with 149,621 voters, 18 candidates, including three independents, are in the fray. All the candidates are in the final stages of trying to woo voters. The candidates are busy wooing voters. Voters are expressing their aspirations to the candidates who come to seek votes.

In the north-south geography, it was not difficult for UML to win elections at one time. It was like a fortress. This sequence was broken only once before 2079. However, after the results of the 2079 election, no one seems confident about the win/loss in Chitwan-1. In the last election, Hari Dhakal of the National Independent Party (RIP) had won from this constituency with a wide margin. He is a candidate this time too.

There is social diversity in this constituency. There are also problems and similar possibilities depending on the place. Candidates here are now seeking votes by including similar issues. Voters also have their own complaints. Chitwan-1 has Rapti, Khairhani and Ratnanagar municipalities. 53-year-old Narhari Thing was waiting for passengers in a rickshaw in Bakulhar, Ratnanagar. He has been driving a rickshaw for 10 years. Earlier, he used to farm in Adhyayan. The harvested grain had to be divided in half. At that time, a rickshaw driver used to drive the rickshaw. He used to carry tiles, marble, iron and cement. ‘I bought this rickshaw by saving a little money,’ he said. ‘Despite seeing the campaign rallies, no candidate has asked me for votes.’

He lives in Ailani, Jayamangal, Ratnanagar-13. He has been living in the settlement for 17 years. In every election, leaders have been promising to give certificates to those who live in the open. He said that he rarely heard such slogans this time. ‘That’s why I don’t have much enthusiasm to vote,’ he said, ‘I voted before even though I don’t understand politics.’ He said that Dhakal, who won before, has also not returned to the settlement.

It is customary to sow rice in Chaite in eastern Chitwan. The election atmosphere is heating up at this time. Farmers are in the fields to store seeds and see if the seeds sown earlier have sprouted. Dipendra Chaudhary, 46, of Ratnanagar-6, Dorangi, was also found in the field. On Falgun 8, he had covered the bed with plastic after storing rice seeds. On Wednesday, he was removing the plastic to see if the seeds had sprouted. He was worried about not getting fertilizer while planting and not getting a good price when selling.

‘We need 30 kg of fertilizer . But, we only get half . Farmers are in trouble . Even when selling, we don’t get the price,’ he said, ‘We grew it with pain, we have to sell it for 15 to 17 hundred per quintal .’  He said that if the price is at least three thousand rupees per quintal, the investment will be raised . He said that he has not seen any candidate who understands the plight of farmers . Subhas Mahato, who was met in the field with him, said that even if a staunch supporter of the party votes for his party’s candidate, the general voters will not see the party. ‘They say that the village should vote for the new party, not the old one . Although Hari Dhakal won before,’ he said, ‘He has not done much work . But new is new . I think if he gets a majority, he will bring some results .’ 

Ramchandra Adhikari of Sauraha in Ratnanagar is 85 years old. Adhikari, who started his hotel business in Sauraha four decades ago, is a staunch Congress supporter. Adhikari, who reached Bacholi Chowk to attend the party meeting, is excited to see the atmosphere of the Congress this time. He said that in the past, the Congress was affected by internal conflicts. ‘The Congress is under the leadership of Gagan and Bishwaprakash. The old pattern is not there. Now the sun is shining on the Congress’s field,’ he said, ‘When the Congress is united, no one can defeat the party. That has happened now.’

Rajendra Burlakoti is the Congress candidate in Chitwan-1. He is a candidate for the third time. He was defeated twice before. ‘Despite being defeated, he did not leave the district. Since he was a person who supported the Congress when it was in crisis, the voters here feel that justice should be done to him this time. ‘All sections of the Congress and the old voters of other parties are in favor of Burlakoti this time,’ said Congress Ratnanagar Secretary Anita Aryal. Burlakoti was a candidate in the 2070 BS Constituent Assembly member and 2074 BS House of Representatives member elections.

Jagruti Prasad Bhetwal was elected from this area in 2043 BS as a public candidate. Parties were not allowed to participate in the elections in the Panchayat. Despite being without a party, Bhetwal was nominated by the then CPN-ML in the elections. After which it became UML. Bhetwal was a resident of Bhandara. After he won the election, East Chitwan first became the base area of ​​ML and later of UML. Bhetwal won from Chitwan-1 in the parliamentary election held in 2048 BS. Bhetwal also won in the 2051 BS mid-term elections. He was defeated in 2056 BS. At that time, the UML split and the ML party was formed. The UML suffered the impact of the split in the election results. In the 2008 election, Congress' Savitri Bogati Pathak won from Chitwan-1 by getting 19,087 votes. Bhetwal got 18,176 votes. ML candidate Krishnaraj Pant got 1,184 votes. After that, Bhetwal did not become a candidate. Since Bhetwal was not a candidate, UML candidates had been winning from that area. In the 2007 Constituent Assembly member election, there were five constituencies in Chitwan. Even though the then CPN-Maoist and the then Janamorcha Nepal candidates supported by the Maoists won in the other four areas, UML candidate Lalmani Chaudhary won from Chitwan-1.

Surendra Pandey was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly in 2070 BS and a member of the House of Representatives in 2074 BS. Pandey was also a candidate from UML in 2079 BS. At that time, the Nepali Congress had fielded Bishwa Poudel in Chitwan-1. Poudel had resigned from the position of Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission and became a candidate. While there was talk about whether the UML would continue its victorious march or the Congress would demolish the UML stronghold, the election results came out differently. Hari Dhakal of the National Independent Party won by a wide margin. Dhakal got 34,189 votes. Pandey of the UML got 26,608 votes.

Poudel of the Congress got 24,990 votes. The same Dhakal who defeated Pandey, who has made a name for himself as a 'successful finance minister' and a well-known economist, and Poudel, is now the candidate from Chitwan-1 of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party. Dhakal has not only had to welcome voters but also listen to and address their complaints as he is running for re-election. Dhakal says voters understand the uncomfortable situation of his short tenure.

‘I have heard complaints that I did not come to the area.’ But the role of a federal MP is to participate in debates in parliament for policy formulation and to raise awareness,’ he said. ‘I have never failed in that. Voters are clear about the role I played in parliament.’ He said voters also understood the practice of distributing budget based on access and not on need. ‘I have not done anything wrong. The comment that he did not come or did not meet was made by the opposition. I have refuted that,’ said Dhakal.

Dhruv Giri, a central member of the National Independent Party, said that the voices raised by Dhakal in parliament in favor of farmers and tourism were well appreciated by the voters here. UML has fielded Dawa Dorje Lama as its candidate this time. Lama was elected as a member of the Bagmati Province Assembly from Chitwan-1 (1) in 2074 and also became the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives. ‘When I was a minister, I have given subsidies on milk. Fences have been built in the buffer zone of the park to prevent wildlife. Voters will evaluate that work this time,’ said Dawa. Dawa claims that the basis of victory is the UML’s organization, its past work and its image of being able to connect with voters. UML came into the limelight after it did not recommend Surendra Pandey’s name from Chitwan-1. It was decided that UML District President Kamal Pathak would be the candidate from this constituency. Dawa became the candidate after Pathak did not stand for election citing health reasons.

Congress leader Vasu Dhungana got the ticket from Chitwan-1. Rajendra Burlakoti also filed his nomination after getting a ticket from the center. Pandey is currently campaigning for UML and Dhungana for Congress, who did not file his nomination despite getting a ticket. ‘Everyone is actively involved in the election.’ There are many who say they will support him,’ said Burlakoti.

Krishnaraj Pant, who rose from the then ML in the 2056 elections, is this time a candidate from Chitwan-1 on behalf of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP). Local Man Bahadur Syangbo says that Pant, who holds a PhD in economics, a BL in law, and a BSC in botany, is the person needed in this area. ‘This is the kind of person who can address the possibilities and challenges that exist in Chitwan-1. That is why we are far ahead of others in the election competition. Voters have understood this,’ said Syangbo, a member of the NCP Bagmati Province Secretariat. Pant is a person who knows how to develop the hilly region and the problems of the intermediate zone. Pant was the chairman of the Lothar Intermediate Consumer Committee of Chitwan National Park.

Khairhani-13 Harnari toll is connected to the intermediate forest. Last year, there was a fear of the Makuna elephant here. The army shot Makuna while chasing it from the park. A tall and strong concrete wall was ready to stop the elephant. But, this wall alone is not enough. ‘There is no fence everywhere. Where there is a weak fence, the chitri and deer enter from there and eat all the crops,’ said Navina Chaudhary of Harnari. The residents of this toll do not have land certificates. ‘Many people living on the banks of the Rapti from Lothar Ad to Harnari and Sauraha do not have land certificates,’ says Syangbo.

An 18-kilometer embankment has been built in Rapti from Lothar to Kumroj. UML has been promoting this embankment on its own initiative. With the political fame of Bhetwal, the embankment work has also progressed, making it easier for UML to take credit for it. The embankment built 30 years ago is weakening. 18 families in the eastern part of Chitwan are nourished by the water of Rapti. Due to which agricultural enterprises like Chaite paddy, mustard, wheat, off-season maize, commercial vegetables, banana farming, fish farming, and milk production have flourished in this area. ‘There is a fear that the canal will burst when the canal is brought in.’ For this, the embankment had to be strengthened. Stone, gravel, and sand cannot be extracted from the park. If the embankment is dug in the middle, the embankment may weaken. That is why floods and inundations are also a problem here,' says Syangbo. Wildlife is not only a problem, they have become the basis of tourism. Places like Sauraha, Kumroj, and Baghmara that attract a lot of tourists are in Chitwan-1.

About 30 kilometers of the East-West Mahandra Highway passes through Chitwan-1. The problem of road accidents is high here. Voters are demanding attention to improving and expanding the old highway. The old section of the highway that goes from Ratnanagar Shanti Chowk to Hardi on the Rapti River via Khairhani is also here. About 43 families have built huts on the old road in Hardiaad. 'What can you do if you live on the highway land? It is difficult to walk in the mud during the rainy season,' said Shanti Chaudhary. In 2050 BS, a major flood occurred in the eastern part of Chitwan and caused inundation. The locals came to the land on this road in search of height. Where do those who have nothing to do after returning home after getting land elsewhere go? They have been living in a small hut.

Prakash Pahari, 53, who lives in the place known as Hardi Purano Road Toll in Rapti Municipality-6, said that leaders come to meet them only when elections come and ask them to give them red packets or give them land elsewhere. “Many people came to ask us not to worry about voting for them. Even after we voted, our worries did not go away,” said Prakash. Kumar BK of the same toll said that leaders come to seek votes and then disappear. There is a hilly area north of the highway. Ratnanagar does not touch the hilly area. There is no hilly settlement in Khairhani Municipality either. Out of the 13 wards of Rapti, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are entirely hilly areas. Where there is a lack of basic needs like roads, electricity, and health. None of the houses in Rapti-13 have electricity yet. There is also a problem with the roads in these places.

Dhanmaya Praja Chepang of Kanda, Rapti-13, says that despite voting in every election, the leaders do not care. She said that even though there is nothing else in her place, it would be a lot easier if there was a road. Similarly, Maya Kumari Praja Chepang said that she plans to vote for a party that can provide roads. But no candidate has come forward in her village. Balram Khanal, the candidate of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) in Chitwan-1, says that voters want there to be no instability in the country in the coming days. 'They feel that they should vote for the RPP for this. Because the RPP has advocated issues like constitutional monarchy and Hindu state. We have full faith in the democratic system. In addition, there are some traditions that we are clear about, if maintained, the country will be strong,' said RPP candidate Khanal.