We have waited two decades for the local level election. Though the wait is getting longer and longer, we are waiting for another month to exercise our voting rights and elect our representatives. 

Bijaya Khadka, Nepali Congress leader, Doti. 

DOTI, May 19: When the government announced plans to hold local level elections, people in province number seven (far western region) were amongst the happiest ones.

Political party cadres and supporters started to prepare for the great event. Excitement was high. However, the wait got longer, due to the government's decision to hold elections in the province only in the second phase. 

“We had initiated preparations for the elections as soon as the government had announced the polls. But the agreement between Madhesh based parties and the government pushed elections for our province to the second phase. We were so much occupied with the preparations that the postponement came as a shock to many of us here,” Chakra Malla, a CPN-ML leader said adding that the “wait feels to be getting longer by the day.”
 
The first phase of local level elections was held on Sunday in three provinces, while the second phase is to be scheduled for next month. Malla argued that the government postponed elections in the province without any reasons stating that atmosphere was conducive for local elections. 

“Everyone was excited and ready for participating in the elections. Except for some dissatisfaction among the Rana Tharus in Kanchanpur and Kailali, there was not much resistance here to the polls here,” he said.  

Local journalist Shrawan Deuba seconds Malla's thought. Deuba added that even the Tharus were actually in favor of holding elections though they were still voicing for a separate Tharuhat province. “The government should have held the local polls here in the first phase itself as the atmosphere was very conducive. The deferral and the consecutive waiting dejected the voters and political parties to some extent,” he said. 

Despite grudges, voters and political party cadres remain buoyed as the opportunity to elect their local representatives approaches. Bijaya Khadka, a Nepali Congress leader, said that that nothing won't change if the elections are held a month later. “We have waited two decades for the local level election. Though the wait is getting longer and longer, we are waiting for another month to exercise our voting rights and elect our representatives,” he said. 

Kamal Gadsila, who is contesting for post of chief of Bogatan Rural Municipality from the Maoist Center stated that the first phase of the local level election has paved way for other elections. It has given strong message and deepened people's confidence that the country is indeed going federal. “Voters here are very much excited to cast their votes. The country has stepped ahead towards the federal setup and this is very encouraging,” he said. 

 
• eager wait
 
• province 7
 
• local elections