SURKHET, May 12: In a bid to attract more number of voters, candidates are spending millions for promotional events in the district. This has made the elections more like a show-off.

Gahendra Prasad Dahal recently resigned from his teaching job to file his independent candidacy for the post of mayoral of Birendranagar Municipality. He has organized press meet twice to declare his candidacy and release election manifesto, spending a lot of money. 

"I wanted to organize a press meet in a place which is accessible to all the journalists and that is not possible without spending some money," he said.

According to him, after filing his candidacy, he has spent more than Rs 1 million for organizing press conferences, door-to-door visits, for recording election song and for buying posters, banners, pamphlets and other promotional tools. He has been paying for the transportation, meal and lunch of his supporters who are accompanying him in his promotional campaign. 

"He might have to spend three to four millions by the end of the elections," said one of the members of his publicity team, adding, "This election has been really costly."
Kabindra Kumar KC, a CPN-UML candidate for the post of Simta Rural Municipality chief, even recorded a song for the election. He printed more than 1 million T-shirts as well. 
"I have already spent about three millions for flags, flexes, banners, posters, transportation and for the daily expenses of the cadres," he said. 

These days, elections have been more about buying voters rather than impressing them with genuine causes. The trend of feeding meals and buying drinks for the voters is widely prevalent in Surkhet. Some candidates are persuading the poor and marginalized voters by assuring to provide financial support to them. Bade community of Gurvakot Municipality is one of such examples. There are altogether 32 houses in the community. During the last two Constituent Assembly elections, three of the major political parties had distributed food and even money to the locals of that community. 

"Those who will provide us money will win our votes," said Bir Bahadur Bade of the same community adding, "We know that none of them is going to look after us after the elections but as of now we have assured to vote the ones providing us better amount of money and other facilities," he added.

Kamal Raj Lamsal, vice-principal of Mid-western University of Surkhet says spending large amount of money has been a compulsion as well as an obligation for the candidates. 

"The fear of being defeated by the opposition has compelled the candidates to spend a lot of money," said Lamsal. According to him, the unnecessary expenses carried out by candidates and political parties have made politics less of a social service and more of a power game. He further informed that the candidates this time were more focused on impressing the voters by spending a lot of money rather than winning their hearts with their plans and accomplishments.

 
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