Villagers in Mugu Face Challenges for Upcoming Election Due to Seasonal Migration

Mugu. Villagers from the Mugal settlement in Karmarong Rural Municipality-2, Mugu, descend to lower elevations every year to escape the cold. Since they lock their village homes and move to warmer areas from the last week of October until April, they have expressed that it will be difficult to cast their votes in the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.

In past elections held in April or May, local residents staying in temporary warm shelters were able to reach their polling stations to vote. However, they say reaching the polling centers for the election on March 5 will be a struggle.

There are three hundred households in the village in Mugu. From the last week of October, locals lock their permanent residences and travel as far as Sirani Chaur, the district headquarters Gamgadhi, Jumla, and Kathmandu to avoid the cold.

Currently, only one Lama Guru visits the village to perform rituals at the local monastery. He also commutes from Sirani Chaur, which is two hours away.

Locals state that to vote on March 6, they are forced to travel two hours from Sirani Chaur, two days from the district headquarters Gamgadhi, and three days from Jumla to reach the polling station in the village.

Had the election been held in April, all the villagers would have already returned to the village. But for the election being held in March, the likelihood of most voters being able to go and vote is low.

It appears difficult to take the elderly and children along to go and vote. Traveling from the district headquarters Gamgadhi to vote and back costs three thousand rupees per person.

Coming from Jumla costs more than ten thousand rupees. Since it would cost over thirty thousand rupees for three or four members of a single family to go and vote, Ward Chairman of Karmarong Rural Municipality-2, Chyawa Tamang, expresses doubt that most voters will actually make it there just to cast their ballots.

The number of voters at this village polling center is 609, including 338 men and 271 women. Locals who have moved elsewhere to escape the cold are now worried about how they will reach the village for the election on March 6.

Karma Tamang, a local from the same village, says, "All the locals are outside the village. The village is deserted. Since there are no locals in the village, the election fever hasn't touched us. Because the villagers aren't there, even political parties haven't been able to reach the area."

Locals mentioned that while a small number of people might arrive from Jumla, Kathmandu, and Gamgadhi to vote, it will be especially difficult for the elderly to travel even from Sirani Chaur, two hours away, just for the purpose of voting.