Candidates across the political spectrum, however, have taken a posture to give top priority for development issues as their major agenda to woo the voters.
Though the candidates avoid taking sides during public speeches, they have been tacitly lobbying for the Akhanda Sudurpaschim or the Tharuhat as per their party´s stance while interacting with the electorates.[break]
As for the voters, a section of the population has been firmly lobbying to keep all the nine far-western districts intact in a single province. Another section including the Tharu community is for delineating a Tharuhat province by including Kailali, Kanchanpur and other Tarai districts.
Though the leaders pretend to sweep this issue under the carpet, large number of voters have already made up their mind for voting based on the role played by the leaders when the Akhanda Sudurpaschim and Tharuhat movements.
Just ahead of the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly in May, 2012, this region was brought to a grinding halt as the two agitating sides enforced parallel general strike for 32 consecutive days.
"The leaders, who were sharply divided into two sides, have now come together during this election. Despite their U-turn, the voters haven´t forgotten their role in the movement and will vote accordingly," said a civil society member Basanti Chaudhary.
"One of the major factors that can make a big difference can be the position to be taken by the candidates and political parties for and against the integrated far-west or Tharuhat movement," Chief of Aishwarya Multiple Campus, Dharmadev Bhatta, who is also chairman of Civil Society in Kailali told Republica.
While selecting candidates for Kanchanpur and Kailali districts under the first-past-the-post as well as proportional representation systems, all major political parties have included Chaudhary community.
Of the total 21 election constituencies of the far-western region, 10 fall in Kanchanpur and Kailali. As the two large districts have mixed population, candidates can´t win elections if any of the Tharu community or those belonging to hilly origins stood against one.
During the agitation, central as well as local leaders from the UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and other parties were sharply divided for and against the movements.
Also, the local administration had initially assumed this issue to be one of the major security challenges for the upcoming election.
Khadakraj Joshi, regional coordinator of Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), believes that the situation improved as general public underwent self-realization and restrained themselves over the time.
As locals had strongly protested against some top leaders´ remarks in this connection, leaders seem to have learnt lessons. They have now reacted cautiously, sensing possibility of facing any counterproductive result during the election.
When Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar was home minister during the Baburam Bhattarai-led government, he made some remarks in favor of Tharuhat. Then, locals here not only staged demonstrations, but also stopped vehicular movement in the East-West Highway and the local security agencies had a tough time to arrange an alternative route to take the home minister to Nepalgunj.
Similarly, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai faced similar protests for giving statements in favor of Tharuhat when they held an interaction in Kailali while seeking feedbacks for the party´s election manifesto. Locals had burnt their effigies for the same.
Even leaders from smaller political forces have lately started mincing their words on the issue. Raj Kumar Lekhi, who had led the Tharuhat movement, now avoids giving fiery remarks.
At an interaction organized at Dhangadhi on Sunday, he evaded journalists´ repeated questions about his latest position on the issue of Integrated Far-West versus Tharuhat.
Thus, it has become a common strategy of all the parties to appease voters by focusing on the development issues.
Candidates have given priority for development agenda also because people here have always felt discriminated by the state.
During his first election campaign visit to the region earlier this month, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Dahal committed to give top priority for this region´s development after the election.
Senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba toured this region within few days after Dahal canvassed the areas. Deuba vowed not to leave any stone unturned to develop the 750-MW West-Seti Hydropower Project that can help make the neighboring districts prosper within a few years.
Locals have aspirations on issues concerning basic services such as developing educational, health, agricultural, tourism and industrial facilities in the region. Candidates just support their demands.
Not a single hospital with good facility is available in this region.
"People from all the nine districts in the region have to visit Indian towns such as Lucknow or Bareli in case of health complications," said Joshi.
The election race has taken an interesting turn this time around as the list of candidates in this region include former prime ministers Deuba from NC and Chand from RPP, UCPN (Maoist) senior leader Lekhraj Bhatta, NC´s Dilendra Prasad Badu, Ramesh Lekhak, NP Saud and CPN-UML´s Bhim Rawal.
Similarly, there are some locally popular leaders and other youth candidates who are likely to give a tough competition to the heavyweights.
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