As the day of election draws near the parties and their candidates fear that the door-to-door campaign might also come to naught. [break]
“Of all 75 districts, Parsa has a very high record of vote swing at the last hour-thanks to the money factors,” says Ram Chandra Sah, CPN-UML´s Parsa district in-charge. “Candidates must enter the villages with a bundle of currency notes just two days before the election if they want the electorates to remain loyal to them.”
He rubbishes the ongoing prediction about the poll outcome as the track record invariably shows that the voters will dramatically change sides at the eleventh hour, depending on the money the candidates offer.
The local leaders and the voters also say that constituencies 2 and 3 might see upheavals due to ´the money factor´.
“Parsa is vulnerable to any unpleasant happening as money decides the election result,” claims Krishna Kanhaiya Kayastha, a voter of constituency-2.
The voters point out various reasons behind the money factor in Parsa. Poverty and illiteracy are the obvious reasons. But, many other voters argue that as Birgunj is a financial hub of the country, election is a time for the politicians and other vested interest to convert black money into white ones and influence the polls outcome in their favor.
Many industrialists, entrepreneurs as well as smugglers and contractors are based in the district, which makes it easy for the poll candidates to collect donation.
Money has been the decisive factor since the general election of 1958, the locals claim.
“In 1958 election, Nepali Congress (NC) won the highest number of votes from the district but the result was reversed in 1979 referendum,” adds Kayastha, elaborating his argument.
Birgunj is the main customs point between Nepal and India where the dual citizenship of both the country is possible. This is another reason why the candidates can “buy” vote banks in Parsa, Kayastha adds.
NC´s District Secretary Ashok Jaiswal agrees.
“Indians have earlier voted in Nepal´s polls. But this time we are trying our best to stop this tendency,” he says.
Local leaders and voters claim that the candidates are assuring small amount of money to individual voters and a huge amount to those people who can guarantee at least 10 votes. Eyewitnesses say that candidates are assuring to pay off the bank loan of their voters and provide motorcycle and mobile phones if they voted for them.
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