Local polls prompt Nepali community to return home for exercising franchise

TIKAPUR: MAY. 9 – Nepalis in India have started coming back home to participate in the upcoming local-level elections scheduled for May 13.

Those Nepali who went to India for jobs are returning to home to exercise their franchise for the local polls taking place at all 753 units across the country in a single phase. They say they are excited to elect their local representatives through the ballots.

Bikash Dhami of Janaki Rural Municipality said he was just back home with his seven-member family for the election. As he said, other Nepalis have also arrived together with him on a 15-day leave. Dhami shared that his neighbours are competing in the election and they encouraged him to be at home to take part in the voting.

Kamala Neupane of Janaki Rural Municipality and her spouse are back to home to choose their ‘qualified’ representatives for a five-year term.

The couple knew about the election announcement through the news and relatives and decided to arrive home with the realization that it was their civic and political responsibility to be part of the election and choose a ‘competent’ candidate for the development of the locality.

Suresh BK of Lamki Chuha Pratapur has returned home along with his nine-member family from a job in Maharashtra in India. “We have returned home to vote in the election. We all nine-family members are eligible to vote. In the meantime, we will seize this occasion to get together with relatives,” he said.

So far in 15 days, more than 400 Indian returnees have got their health tests at a health desk at a transit with India, said a health worker Makendra Rokaya who has been deployed at a health desk at Tikapur-9. The number of India returnees has increased since one week as the May 13 local election is nearing, he added.

In 10 months in the current fiscal year, 2021/22, a total of 4,698 people returning home from India received health services at the health desk, he said.

Meanwhile, in the Kailali district, preparations for the election have been over, according to the district election office.

Election officers and assistant election officers have been trained for the poll and voting materials have been handed to them, said the chief of the district election office, Prem Raj Bhatta.

All election officers and employees along with election materials will reach all polling stations in the district until May 10 and the distribution of voter identity cards will take place on May 11 and 12, he said. There are 236 polling stations and 619 election centres in the district.

For the election, 1,250 election officers and assistant election officers, 3,050 employees and 1,875 volunteers will be deployed in the district, he said.

-RSS