Complaints of farmer voters: No irrigation, no fertilizer seeds

With only 25 days left till the local level election, the election activities have increased in Myagdi. Political parties and leaders are gathering tolls in the villages but there seems to be few voters and more political activists in their attending such campaigns.

 There is a lot of work in the village. Farmers are busy threshing wheat, sowing maize, threshing, planting winter vegetables, planting barley and collecting water for irrigation. Though the leaders of the political parties started visiting the houses during the election campaign, the farmers did not have time to meet them and take care of them. Dil Bahadur Sapkota of Beni Municipality-3, Torakhet says, "Our problems are the same. The crops have died due to lack of irrigation. There is no drinking water in the taps. Elections are coming. Leaders are coming and giving assurances."

 Sapkota, who was threshing wheat in the yard on Saturday, said that despite the development of roads and communication in the village, little has been achieved in the agricultural sector.

 "There is a three-tier government now. However the farmers do not feel that local government is be our own government, ”said Sapkota.

 Myagdi has 45 wards at six local levels including one municipality and five village municipalities. Except wards 7 and 8 of Beni municipality, all other municipalities and wards are rural areas. More than 90 percent of the voters here are from rural areas and agriculture sector.

 Chitra Bahadur Purja of Raghuganga Gaonpalika-4 said that the disillusionment of the farmers towards the election was not only due to the busy schedule of work but also the failure to fulfill the assurance given by the leader in the past for the benefit of agriculture and farmers.

 Farmers are more worried about importing wheat, sowing maize, cultivating paddy and planting paddy. He says there is no bigger election for them than work. Tika Bahadur Karki, a farmer from Bagarphat, says, "If the time comes, I will have to go to the polls, but I don't have time to listen to the speeches and walk with the leaders."

 "Most of the voters are in the village. There is a lot of work in the village. We go to the farmers' fields and tell our story. After a few days, the work will be less and the campaign will pick up speed," Karki said.