Pramila Subedi from ward 7 of Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot, who is currently residing in Manamaiju, Kathmandu, is not returning to her home village to vote in the March 5 parliamentary elections. Not out of frustration with the electoral process, but because of the high cost of travel.

She complained that travelling back with her four-member family is too expensive and would strain their monthly budget.

“We need to travel to our village next month as well, and travelling home repeatedly is not possible,” said Subedi, a mother of two. “So this time, we are not casting votes. I also don’t think whoever wins will make much difference to our lives.”

Subedi’s situation is shared by many people living away from their home districts, including in the Capital city, who are eligible to vote but are hesitant to go back home because of travel expenses.

In addition to high travel costs, poor road conditions, and frequent accidents are also keeping many voters from returning to their home villages. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of people living away from their homes are not registered to vote in their current locations while others are not registered anywhere.

“I am 28 years old and have never voted,” said Bibek Rai, who works as a carpenter in Kathmandu. “I want to go home [in eastern Nepal] for the elections, but the problem is that my name is not in the voter roll.”

According to the Election Commission’s voter list, 18,903,689 citizens are eligible to cast their ballots on March 5. The updated tally shows an increase of 915,119 voters compared to the 2022 elections. However, data from past elections show that, on average, around 35 percent of registered voters do not vote.

For some voters, economic hardship is compounded by growing dissatisfaction with political parties.

Ramesh Pudasaini from the Belkotgadhi Municipality of Nuwakot, now residing in Tarakeshwar Municipality in Kathmandu, said he is not returning to vote this time.

“We cast votes many times in the past, but no party tried to understand or address our problems,” Pudasaini, 32, told the Post. “Our problems are not on the agenda of any political parties.”

Not only voters from adjoining districts like Nuwakot, Dhading, and Makawanpur, but also those from far-flung villages now residing in the Kathmandu Valley, say returning home to vote is impossible as the cost would strain their family budgets for months.

“It costs over 30,000 rupees for me alone to travel to my village in Baitadi and back,” said Dhiraj Bista, a permanent resident of Melauli, Baitadi. “My wife and children also want to go with me, which makes voting too costly for us.”

Some people, residing in the capital city, want to return home for the election but complain that they do not have voter registration.

Beyond travel and registration issues, many voters say past experiences have left them disillusioned with politicians.

“What’s the point of voting if nothing good happens?” complained Indira Mishra, 46, owner of a small tea shop near the Balaju Bus Park. “My husband and I won’t be voting this time. They take our votes, get elected, and then exploit us.”

Consumer rights activists say it is unfortunate that almost all election manifestos have failed to give priority to people’s bread-and-butter issues—or to tame inflation.

“All political parties have been asking for votes to form a majority government,” said Jyoti Baniya, chairperson of the Forum for Protection of Consumer Rights-Nepal. “But none of them is serious about empowering people to make the right electoral choice.”

They add that ongoing election activities have themselves contributed to inflation, and the poor and middle-class families have been affected the most.

“We are all aware that inflation has risen. Even small tasks now require higher kickbacks, public transport is unsafe, and commuters often face humiliation,” said Baniya. “We have nowhere to file complaints. Those who want to vent their frustration through their votes also cannot travel to their villages because of high travel costs.”