Sarlahi locals think it’s general periodic polls

LALBANDI , NOV 04 -

The election campaign in the central Tarai shows that most of the people and candidates from the region consider the Constituent Assembly election as the general periodic election .

Despite the fact that the second CA election is to select lawmakers to write a new constitution, both the voters and candidates are prioritising the development and economic prosperity rather than constitutional agendas. Local people are more concerned about construction of roads and bridges, employment and poverty reduction that directly impact their daily life. Locals from the epicentre of the Madhes movement, which established different political agendas like federalism, don’t seem to have more concern in such issues now. “Whoever pledges employment and development will get my vote,” said Hari Ram Mahato, a local from Babargunj in Sarlahi.

According to former minister Urmila Aryal, who is the candidate of UCPN (Maoist) from Parsa-6, the majority of the people are not debating about the constitutional issues and their sole concern is economic development. They question about what we did for them while in the leadership, she said.

Even the leaders have kept constitutional agendas in their least priority and are publicising their roadmap of development. The important issues of the constitution drafting like federalism, forms of governance, among others, don’t get space in electioncampaigns of candidates. Their election speeches are full of dream for prosperity, locals said.

Providing home for the poor, increasing allowance for old age and widow, free technical education, construction of road and bridges are the main agendas of all the parties.

“We should go according to people’s will. As they are more concerned about development issues we are keeping them in the first priority,” said Pramod Kumar Gupta, candidate of Rastriya Madhes Samajbadi Partya.