ROLPA, May 23: The long-neglected Thawang Rural Municipality of Rolpa district, the bastion of the decade-long Maoist insurgency, is all set to hold the local elections on June 14 as the election fever rises.
With the election now just 22 days away, the locals of Thawang are in high hopes that the elected local representatives will bring the much needed development in their place. As the local representatives will have the powers so far enjoyed by the central government, it is expected that there will be less bureaucratic hassles to block the path of development.
“This is where we fought for the people's government - an ideal government that will actually listen to plights and problems of the people,” said Rishi Keshav Budhamagar, a local. “Now, with powerful local units, our dream will be realized after the elections. We are excited about the upcoming elections.”
Neglected village Thawang ready for polls
Aspiring candidates of various political parties have already started their election campaigns by visiting the voters. The place is a fortress of Biplov-led CPN Maoist as the party enjoys a strong support base there. However, other parties have opened their offices in the rural municipality. For instance, the Nepali Congress (NC) recently opened its office in Thulo Gaun of Thawang.
The area, which is made up of Thawang, Mirul and Uwa, has five wards and 5,755 voters. “The power and rights so far enjoyed by Singha Durbar are coming to the villages. Now the local representatives will have the opportunity to see the common people's problems from up-close,” said Pun Magar of Thawang-2.
Sharing the problem of his village, he said, “We have the problem of telecommunications.
We can't always complain, however. We have to change many things by ourselves too.
For instance, tractors and trucks can reach our villages to deliver goods. But they have to return empty. So, after the elections, we have to bring new projects and reach a stage such that those trucks don't not have to return empty.”
The major political parties are in the final phase of picking their candidates. The NC has decided to field either Shree Kumari Rokka or Bom Bahadur Rokka in the elections while the CPN-UML has already handed its ticket to Hit Bahadur Rokka as the chief of the rural municipality.
Likewise, the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) has decided to field either Dinesh Rokka or Rishi Keshav Budha. Those aspiring candidates have already started their door-to-door elections campaigns.
