JAJARKOT, Nov 17: There were days when persuading voters was not a big deal for the candidates and political leaders in Jajarkot. However, with the changing times, even the voters have become wise and unlike in the past, the lofty promises of candidates can hardly fool them now. Being fed up with their past experiences, locals of Jajarkot have urged the candidates to be genuine with their election agendas and promises.
According to the locals, candidates greet the locals and make pledges during elections to seek votes but they don't show up at other times. This is the reason why they have been suggesting to the candidates to stop begging and start working. During their door-to-door visits, candidates of both left and 'democratic' alliances are often told that their unrealistic promises are not going to impress the locals. This is the reason why most of the parties have stuck to local agendas this time.
Awareness rally fails to impress quake-victims
Recently, Bedraj Singh, a candidate of Nepali Congress (NC) interacted with some locals as a part of his campaign. In the meantime, Sundari Khatri, 84, of Nalgad Municipality-8, Halchaur, complained to him that their locality is grappled with various problems such as unemployment, poverty, irregularities in development work and sluggish work of various authorities. She strictly told Khatri that his one-day visit to locals cannot be a remedy to these problems.
Holding NC candidate Singh's hand, Khatri said, “Being a youth, there's a lot that you can do for the people and the nation. But if you can't do much, at least don't sell fake dreams." Similarly, Bir Bahadur Khadka, a farmer of Junichande Rural Municipality-5, has been repeatedly suggesting to the candidates of all parties to dedicate themselves completely to the welfare of the people at least for five years.
However, Khatri and Khadka are not the only two who have been tired of the flattery and vows made by candidates. There are hundreds of people like them. This time all the educated and aware voters are determined to teach the candidates a lesson. They have been found making efforts to make candidates realize that seeking vote is not going to be as easy as in the past. "We have long been used as stepping stones by selfish politicians whose one and only motive has been to make money," said Gagan Bahadur Karki of Bheri Municipality-3.
Even renowned leaders like former Home Minister and leader of CPN (Maoist Center) Shakti Bahadur Basnet, NC leader Rajiv Bikram Shah and other candidates of provincial elections have adopted door-to-door visits as the major part of their campaigns. Meanwhile, locals are also viewing this as an opportunity to vent their disappointment and make their voices heard.
