Some have been revisiting the settlements while the others have been sending letters, asking the electorates to stay at home on certain days.
With inflation skyrocketing, the folks are also quite disappointed with the leaders. [break]
"These days the folk aren´t much excited about the politics, you know," said Bijaya Shrestha of a village in Bungamati VDC. “On top of that, the harvest is our priority at this time of year.”
"They better visit the fields if they want to meet our people," she added.
Shrestha heard that several candidates of political parties have visited her settlement but she has not yet meet anyone.
"Once I meet them I will ask them about the growing inflation, which has raised several folds in recent months," she said, adding that no political party has raised the issue of inflation that has been severely affected to housewife like her.
Inflation is the real agenda here.
"Price of potato has more than doubled, and we have stopped using the onion as we can no longer afford that," said Sabita Poudel of Thaibu-1, Thasikot, complaining that none of the leaders have shown concern to control it.
She said that she would seek commitment from the leaders for not to call strike, which leads to artificial rise in the price of commodities and make people suffer.
Politicians´ indifferences to other burning social and national problems are also in her agenda, but they are clearly not the priority of these villagers.
Closes to the capital, at the ancient Bugamati bazaar, the agenda is not much different, and hardly political issues.
Radha Krishna Maharjan, a resident of Bugamati bazaar has been facing problem of drinking water but the political parties do not have a concrete plan to address it.
"A political leader or a candidate never says no to the demands put forth by the people,” he said. “But we all know very well that such hollow promises are not to be kept."
He said that candidates of the major political parties, who visited his house, gave a big talk on the issues of culture, heritage, and tourism promotion of Bugamati. However, none of them have a concrete plan.
Prayag Lal Joshi, another local resident, who is also a water expert and World Bank (WB) consultant, said that the election fever has gripped the locality-unlike the villages away from the center.
"From the students to the housewives, teashop to the offices, we can hear the debate of election," he said.
He said that he is quite busy meeting the election candidates. "They call me to discuss the local issues, and expect me to support them. I have give time to them," he said.
But he added that the parties lack plan of the development of the emerging town.
"The whole town has is turning into another concrete jungle,” he complains.
“Their manifestoes also lack programs to respond to the problems faced by the youth," he further said, adding that the politicians commit everything for cheap popularity but do not deliver.
All candidates of the major political parties like UCPN (Maoist), CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC) have been claiming their own victories, arguing that people of the constituency are for the change and that their party stands for change.
"I am well aware about the local and national problems and committed to resolve them as far as possible," said Raghuji Panta, CPN-UML candidate, adding that no other candidate is as familiar with the local issues as him.
Panta, who was defeated by Pampha Bhusal, then Maoist candidate in the previous CA election, had twice won the parliamentary election twice in 1994 and 1999 from the same constituency.
“This time around I will win. People have said that I am only the candidate, who can play active role in the CA," he said.
He got 100,632 votes against 18,930 of Bhusal.
Panta however admitted that the competition will be tough with the candidates of UCPN (Maoist) and Nepali Congress. Likewise, Dipesh Maharjan of the UCPN (Maoist) claimed that he will win the election as the environment was in his favor.
His rivals say that he is too young and inexperienced. However, Maharjan refutes that. "I am quite familiar with the local problems as I am a permanent resident of this constituency," he said. NC candidate, Madan Amatya, also claims his victory.
“I am committed to address grievances of the local residents. I will regulate mismanagement, and mobilize local resources," claimed he.
He is district head of the party.
In the previous election, Mohan Shyam Poudel of NC got 10,251 votes and stood in the third position.
It is said that Poudel got ticket due to his access with top leaders of the party and local cadres were not happy with his candidacy.
The constituency has eight VDCs, 11 wards of Lalitpur sub-metropolis and has a total of 77,888 voters.
The eight VDCs are Saibu-Bhaisepati, Khokana, Sunakhothi, Thaiba, Harisiddhi, Bungmati, Thecho and Dhapakhel.
Similarly, wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 13, 14, 15, 20 and 21 of Lalitpur sub-metropolis are also parts of the constituency.
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