Development Issues and Election Agendas in Karnali

Surkhet. Even after 42 years since the start of construction, the Suntharali Airport in Kalikot has not been able to come into operation. During this period, dozens of elections have been held, including those for local bodies, the Constituent Assembly, provinces, the House of Representatives, and local levels. However, the agenda for the construction and operation of the airport, which is raised with priority in every election, has failed to be implemented.

The tri-national road connecting the Indian border point Jamunaha to Hilsa in China is also a long-standing electoral slogan in Karnali. Out of this 508-kilometer road, 347 kilometers fall between Khulalu in Kalikot and Hilsa. 

This project, started in 2057 BS with the goal of connecting Humla's headquarters Simkot to the national road network, is listed as a Project of National Pride but remains incomplete. In every provincial and House of Representatives election, this road becomes a major agenda for political parties.

The promise to upgrade the Karnali Highway, considered the backbone of development in Karnali, to two lanes has also been repeated since 2064 BS. Candidates from Surkhet, Dailekh, Kalikot, Mugu, and Jumla have been asking for votes by repeating this same agenda in every election. Similarly, the Bheri Corridor (Nepalgunj–Chinchu–Jajarkot, Dolpa–Dho Morimla–Tibet and Surkhet–Jumla–Sinja–Mugu–Nagchenagla–Tibet roads) has become a permanent subject of manifestos and speeches.

Attractive slogans such as the Bheri-Babai Multipurpose Irrigation Project, upgrading and regular flights at airports in hilly districts, solving drinking water problems, distributing land ownership certificates to the landless, quality education, effective health services, and road infrastructure development have also been repeated in every election.

In the general election taking place after the Gen Z movement, while many candidates appear to be new faces, there is little novelty in their electoral agendas. In the two constituencies of Surkhet, the capital of Karnali Province, 27 candidates are in the electoral fray. However, the agendas of most seem limited to the repetition of old commitments.

From Surkhet Constituency No. 2, CPN-UML candidate Kulmani Devkota has entered the House of Representatives election for the first time. He is visiting voters' doorsteps with promises of increasing elderly allowances, improving the quality of education, and rural development. From the same constituency, Narayan Kumar Koirala of the Nepali Congress is urging voters to vote for him for the overall development of the country.

The NCP candidate has stated that the implementation of inclusiveness and federalism is their main agenda and believes the party must win for that purpose. Meanwhile, the RSP candidate is asking for votes, claiming that the demand of the new generation is good governance and development.

RSP has fielded new faces in all constituencies of Karnali. The UML has also put forward new candidates in most areas, while the Nepali Congress has fielded new and young faces who have not contested elections before in all 12 constituencies of Karnali. The CPN, however, has re-nominated leaders who have previously served as members of parliament and ministers in some locations.

Even though the faces of the candidates have changed, the repetition of old agendas related to the development of Karnali has led voters to question their actual implementation. Whether electoral commitments will remain limited to paper or be transformed into practice remains a matter of anticipation for the people of Karnali.

Photo: Former Deputy Prime Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka and Tourism Minister Sudan Kirati, among other leaders, during a successful test flight on 2080 Phagun 12 BS. Locals present at the Suntharali Airport, which has been under construction for four decades. Although two test flights have been conducted at this airport, it has not been able to come into regular operation.