Kathmandu, May 5
Local level elections are just nine days away and candidates have expedited electioneering in all local bodies of provinces 3, 4 and 6.
Mayoral candidates of the capital, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, are even busier in soliciting votes by selling their visionary dreams.
In this context, Onlinekhabar introduces you with four of the mayoral candidates of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, who are ahead of others in their campaigning:
Raju Raj Joshi
In pursuit of 25-year-old dream
Raju Raj Joshi of Nepali Congress is a known face among Congress cadres of core Kathmandu for many years, though he might be a new name for general voters. “I like to be in low-profile,” he says, “But, no one has ever reached the public as much as me.”
He says he had dreamed of becoming the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, hence denied many other political opportunities including tickets for parliamentary elections in past 25 years. He had expressed his desire to run for the mayor in 1992 local elections. But, the then “supreme leader” of the party, Ganesh Man Singh, wanted PL Singh to lead the capital. Joshi pulled himself back. Ganesh Man tried to console him with the deputy mayoral ticket, but Raju Raj passed the chance to his own younger brother Nabindra Raj.
Then, Nabindra Raj continued stepping up the ladder of his political career. He has become the Central Working Member, a lawmaker for two times and a Cabinet minister now. But, Raju Raj has just achieved his 25-year-old dream for the mayoral ticket.
Not tested in any public poll yet, Joshi says, “Not holding any public position is a qualification for my election this time.” He says he will introduce metro train and flyovers in Kathmandu city, once elected.
Bidya Sundar Shakya
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor
Like Joshi, Bidya Sundar Shakya of CPN-UML is also a less known face for metropolitan voters. He, however, holds a strong command over UML cadres of the city as he has been in the party politics for three and half decades. For this man born in a traditional trader family, clean political and moral image has been the most significant asset for candidacy for mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Shakya has led Ward Number 21 of KMC three times, including one before the restoration of democracy in 1990. He has never lost any election he has contested so far.
Shakya has prioritised wooing Newar community living in Kathmandu for the success in the elections. He also claims to have a strong connection with the ‘guthis’, traditional community organisations of Newars living in Kathmandu, which might influence its individual members’ decisions about whom to vote for.
Shakya says he has owned plans and programmes introduced by his predecessor Keshav Sthapit, who had won the KMC Mayor from the UML in 1997 local elections. As Sthapit himself has extended a warm support for him, Shakya is hopeful of the victory.
Kishore Thapa
Looking forward to redesigning Kathmandu
Kishore Thapa is a bureaucrat turned politician. Having retired a few years ago after working for 32 long years in the government service, Thapa is considered a visionary leader who has understood development issues of Kathmandu.
Born in a military family on the southern outskirts of Kathmandu, Thapa is the board first of the 1975 School Level Certificate Examinations. Then, he studied architectural engineering in India. Now, he plans to design a new map of the capital city.
Thapa says he decided to join politics out of frustrations he experienced with visionless ministers he worked at various ministries. While active in the Bagmati Clean-up Campaign after the retirement, he met the then journalist Rabindra Mishra, who convinced him that a new political force is needed to clean up political system of the nation. Mishra later established the Sajha Party and Thapa joined as a founding member.
Thapa faces criticisms when he talks about big dreams as commentators say he failed to make significant changes while working for the government for 32 years. He rejects the accusations of doing nothing and presents a list of his contributions to some big development projects carried out by the government. He says he has the vision to bring a dramatic change in the face of Kathmandu and its people. He hopes to win the polls with at least 100,000 votes.
Ranju Neupane ‘Darshana’
Carrying the change agenda
The most significant feature of this candidate is her age. She is just 21 but seems very much ready to take the charge of most populous metropolis of the nation. A Bachelor’s level student in Development Studies, she says she has solutions to most intriguing problems of the city.
She says she will form an expert panel to advise her after being elected. On the basis of their advices and voices of the locals, she will make Kathmandu a bandh-free city which will stay awake for 24 hours. Waste management, afforestation, rooftop gardening, alternative energy, construction of cricket and football stadiums and traffic management are some of her other agendas.
Scores have said Darshana’s decision to run for the mayor is an immature decision. But she defends that age is but a number and it is vision and willpower that matter in leadership.
“Nepali politics needs a breath of fresh air. I am confident that the residents of Kathmandu will vote for me,” she says, hoping the voters “will not embrace obsolete landline phones in the era of smartphones.”
This young woman wants to be the prime minister in the future. “You should always dream high,” she says, “My final goal is to become Prime Minister.”
