In Palpa Region-1, which is lagging behind in development, candidates have ambitious plans in every election. But after winning the election, the area does not return to itself and does not pay attention to development, so even the residents of this area are lagging behind. Some voters in this Magar-majority area still do not know how to speak Nepali properly. But every time candidates dream of big development plans in this area.

It has been 10 years since the Aryabhanjang-Jabgadi-Rampur road under Region-1 has been repaired. The contract for blacktopping about 5 kilometers of the Humin-Tahun road under this road has started to expire two years ago. The residents of this area have been forced to travel on dusty roads for 10 years. The work of blacktopping 16 kilometers of the Humin-Purvakhola road has not been completed even after two years of expiration. The work that was to be completed by 2080 Kartik is still pending. Although the slope work is being done in the highly risky Sepad under the Aryabhanjyang-Jabgadi-Rampur road, the situation is different elsewhere.

The Rampur-Mityal-Arunkhola road connects the Kaligandaki Corridor Road to Arunkhola in Nawalpur in Gandaki Province via Mityal and the East-West Mahendra Highway. But the road that was started 45 years ago is still dusty. This is also the road that connects the center of Nisdi Rural Municipality. But even now, drivers and passengers have to face hardships at various places on the road, be it rain or winter. The track of this road from Mityal to Arunkhola was opened 15 years ago.

The road division will award the contract but the construction contractors will not work on time, so there is difficulty in operating vehicles not only in the rainy season but also in winter in the Gurubhanjyang area between Chiuribas and Mudhabas in Mityal, said local Yama Bahadur Saru Magar. The gravel road here makes it difficult to operate vehicles. The situation is the same from Beldanda to Mityal.

The road was dug almost five decades ago to fulfill the dream of the residents of this area to reach the Terai from the mountains in a short distance. After the local elections, the road upgrade up to Arunkhola in Nawalpur has been completed. The situation is similar towards Palpa. The road condition is the same everywhere in Area 1, said Lal Bahadur Sunari Magar of Nisdi. ‘No major plans have been successful in this area,’ he said, ‘except for some work done at the municipal level, no visible work has been done by the provincial and federal governments.’

Work on the strategic road connecting Kirtipur-Sahalkot-Jhyalbas Nawalpur to Keladi in the Kaligandaki Corridor has not progressed for four years, while other roads have not been completed. Due to budget shortage and various excuses, the work has been stalled. The road from Bankamlang to Sahalkot Mityal Jyamire is also still under construction. Local voters say that other roads, drinking water, and concrete bridges are causing problems.

‘The work of upgrading the main road, which would benefit most citizens, has not been done,’ said Milan Rana Magar, a voter from Nisdi. ‘This situation has come about because their workers say that crores of rupees will be spent everywhere, but the main work is not given priority.’ The Rampur Phat Irrigation Project, which will cost crores not only for road maintenance but also for maintenance, has not been able to get sustainable maintenance. Farmers were not able to plant rice this year due to the inability to irrigate by lifting water from Kaligandaki. Apart from these, there are many areas that can be cultivated. There is a lack of irrigation. They have not been able to drink enough drinking water. Even now, they are forced to carry water on their heads.

In the previous election for the member of the House of Representatives, these problems were also in the promises of the candidates. The plan to develop the road infrastructure, education, health, drinking water and sanitation, electricity and communication, agriculture and irrigation, youth, sports, employment, self-employment, land, forests and environment in this area was in the promise. But the work has not been done. It seems that development is bothering the candidates in many places in area number 1.

Voters demanding an account of commitment

Voters have started seeking an account of the development commitments made in the past. Ichcha Thapa of Rampur Municipality-5 said that there was a tendency not to fulfill the commitments earlier. ‘Everyone in the village is fed up with the old people,’ she said, ‘Voters have been made slaves. They have always made them say that the village is under their control. Now I think the youth should show it by working.’

She is angry at the habit of candidates in the past who would make various promises to garner votes but forget them after coming to power. She suggests that now the candidates coming to the village should be asked for a basis on which to seek votes. ‘Everywhere the roads are winding, there is no local product,’ she said, ‘Those who have them do not get a good market, and they have not been able to create sustainable tourism destinations and infrastructure.’ Maya Thapa of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality-4 said that the current election is not like the previous ones. She said that voters should now assess the past cheating style rather than the face of the candidate. ‘Aware citizens should be vigilant against political fraud for years,’ she said, ‘Those who are getting the right to vote for the first time also need to be aware of this issue.’

UML stronghold for 32 years

In the first election after democracy in 2046, Congress candidates won in all three constituencies of Palpa in the 2048 House of Representatives election. In all elections since 2051, the CPN-UML has been winning in Palpa Constituency-1. In Constituency 1, the Congress has not won a single election since 2051. All elections are in the hands of UML.

Dal Bahadur Rana won in 2051, Bhadra Bahadur Thapa in 2056, and Dal Bahadur Rana won again in the 2064 BS Constituent Assembly election. Kaluram Rana Magar was elected from the Congress in this same constituency in 2048 BS. At that time, Dal Bahadur was a competitor with Rana. In the subsequent 2070 BS Constituent Assembly election, Radhakrishna Kandel of UML was elected from this constituency. This is the constituency where Rana won again from UML in the 2074 BS election.

Constituency 1 includes Rampur Municipality, Nisdi, Purvakhola, Rambha, Mathagadhi Rural Municipality. Ward 8 of Tansen and 5 of Tinau also fall under Constituency 1. There are signs of a four-way competition in Constituency No. 1 for the House of Representatives. It is estimated that there will be competition between the four main political parties in this constituency. Rampur voter Ananta Prasad Khanal comments that there will be an election contest between the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress, National Independent Party (NRP) and Nepali Communist Party. Narayan Prasad Acharya of UML won from Constituency No. 1 in the 2079 BS House of Representatives election. Acharya defeated Nepali Congress candidate Gyan Bahadur Gaha to win. Acharya won by getting 31,103 votes while his nearest rival Gyan Bahadur Gaha of Nepali Congress got 20,256 votes. In 2079 BS, the Maoists, Janamorcha and others supported the Congress. Acharya, the outgoing MP from Constituency 1, is the candidate. Born in Purvakhola Rural Municipality-3, Ringnerah, Acharya is an experienced leader who was organized into the All Nepal National Independent Students Union in 2039 BS and served as the ninth district committee chairman of UML Palpa from 2073 to 2078 BS. The Congress has nominated Lumbini Province member Sandeep Rana as its candidate. Rana is also a member of the Congress's Mahasamiti and the chairman of the International BP Chintan Pratishthan. Rana, who has been active in politics by staying close to the youth in rural areas, is a candidate who can challenge the UML stronghold in Palpa-1.