Foreign employment continues to lure elected representatives from Gorkha, with at least three ward chairmen and as many ward members now living abroad.

The latest to leave is Saroj Lama, ward 6 chief of Chumnubri Rural Municipality. He flew to Germany this week after announcing his departure in a long Facebook post. Lama, elected in 2022 from the CPN (Maoist Centre), said he was quitting politics altogether. Despite working “as honestly as possible,” he never felt recognition or satisfaction, and wanted to “restart life from zero.”

Before leaving, he appointed ward member Thile Gyamjo as acting chair and formally informed the rural municipality office. Officials confirmed that the acting chair will exercise full authority until Lama’s return.

Lama is not the first elected representative from Chumnubri to go abroad. Three ward members—Sonam Lama, Dolma Lama, and Chheten Lama—resigned earlier this year and migrated overseas.

Similarly, ward 5 chief of Siranchok Rural Municipality, Thaneshwar Pokharel, went to the US, while ward 6 chair of Dharche Rural Municipality, Dhan Bahadur Ghale, left for the UK. Both have remained abroad despite repeated calls from their rural municipalities to clarify their status.

Authorities say their perks and benefits have been suspended, and locals are demanding cancellation of their posts, calling the prolonged absence a betrayal of public trust.