National
Back to district for elections
For Sunday’s vote, people are defying the cold to reach their villages in Manang district in the trans-Himalayan arid zone.Aash Gurung
For Sunday’s vote, people are defying the cold to reach their villages in Manang district in the trans-Himalayan arid zone.
Elections for the federal parliament and provincial assemblies are going to be held in the district on November 26. By this time in the past, Manang residents would have left for Kathmandu to avoid cold but they are staying back this time.
Laxmi Gurung of Ghyaru in Nesyang Rural Municipality-2 said she was on her way to Manang to cast her vote. “Our relatives are in the village. This time, they stayed back for the vote,” she said. The morning and evening temperature of Chame is being recorded zero degrees Celsius. At night, temperatures plunge below zero. Palden Gurung of Nesyang-6, who operates a business in Kathmandu, has also returned home for the elections.
Traffic has increased on the Besisahar-Chame road, for a seven-hour journey to Manang on a jeep. In the past few days, around 40 jeeps were bound for Manang with passengers from Lamjung.
According to the election office, there are 5,581 voters registered in the district. In the recently concluded local level elections, there were 5,095 voters in Manang. A majority of Manang residents also live in Kathmandu.
Voters return
People are returning to Bhojpur from other parts of the country and abroad for the upcoming federal and provincial elections. Most of the returnees live out of the district for jobs or studies. Deputy Superintendent of Police Dipendra Panjiyar Tharu said the number of people coming back has increased of late. Chief Election Officer Harischandra Ingnam said officials have left for polling centres with ballot boxes, voter identity cards and ballot papers.