In Bajura, which is known for its unrest in every election, candidates have made a nine-point written commitment on the third day of registering their nominations, saying they will play a role in making the upcoming election peaceful.
What you should know
The electoral process in Bajura has been marred by incidents of rigging, booth capture, beatings and even murder. Two youths died in Bajura during the 2079 House of Representatives elections.
Bajura was tense and turbulent throughout the day on polling day due to incidents such as clashes, vandalism of polling stations, stone pelting, voters being chased away, and security personnel firing aerial fire at dozens of polling stations throughout the day. The major parties claimed that 24 polling stations were occupied during the process.
On polling day, Sanjeev Ayadi, a youth supported by the Congress, died after being shot by the police at polling station 6 in Triveni Municipality. That same night, Chetan Ayadi, who was also a central member of the UML-supported ANNFSU in the same municipality, was beaten to death by locals.
The polling at Nandeshwori Secondary School Pipalchaur in Budhinanda Municipality 5 was postponed and re-voting was held. The Congress-UML counter-alleged that 24 polling stations in the district had been occupied. The Congress filed a complaint with the Election Commission demanding re-voting at 8 and the UML at 16 polling stations. The commission had formed a three-member team for the investigation under the coordination of Joint Secretary Tulsi Bahadur Shrestha. It took 14 days for the counting of votes to begin.
During the 2079 local elections, various polling stations in Bajura remained tense. Re-voting was conducted after rigging was reported in most of the polling stations in Budhiganga Municipality.
Bajura was the district with the highest voter turnout in the 2074 local elections. More than 99 percent of the votes were cast in some polling stations in Budhiganga Municipality. There is data that the same percentage of votes were cast in some other polling stations in the district. In the 2074 elections for the House of Representatives and the Provincial Assembly, 80 percent of the votes were cast in Bajura.
Not only the 2079 and 2074 elections, but also most of the previous elections have been marred by rigging and clashes. Two people, including a child, were killed in a clash in Budhiganga during the 2017 local elections. Many people believe that the challenge of holding a free and fair election in Bajura is also a challenge in the upcoming elections. According to Iqwal Hawari, Chief of the District Police Office, Bajura, only three of the 77 polling stations in the district have been kept normal. 62 have been kept on the highly sensitive list, and 12 on the sensitive list.
On the third day of registering their nominations, candidates for the upcoming elections in Bajura, where every election is turbulent, have made a 9-point written commitment under the leadership of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Bajura, saying that they will play a role in making the upcoming elections peaceful.
There are eight people in Bajura in the upcoming elections. Janakraj Giri from the Congress, Lal Bahadur Thapa from the UML, Prakash Shah from the Nepali Communist Party, Hemraj Thapa from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Keshar Bahadur Shahi from the RPP, Bhupendra BK from the CPN-Maoist, Deepak DC from the Progressive Democratic Party and Upendra Shahi from the Independent are in the fray.
All eight of them have made a common commitment to play a role in peaceful elections. ‘We are committed to making the voting process free, peaceful and transparent,’ the signed commitment letter says.
‘We have made a commitment to ensure that every activity from election campaign to voting is cordial, dignified, respectful of each other’s political parties and candidates, and strictly follow the code of conduct,’ said Padam Bahadur Singh, President of the Federation of Journalists, Bajura. ‘The image of Bajura has been tarnished by the past elections.’ The people of the district want the upcoming elections to be clean and peaceful.'
Reviewing the past, District Police Chief Iqwal Hawari says that security precautions have been taken. 'The security plan has been decided from the top,' he said. 'We are also seriously working at the district level to ensure peaceful elections.'
