Nepal: An Election Fiasco

Lo and behold! The municipal election in 'full swing' in Vishwa Niketan School, Tripureshwar today afternoon.
Pic by Shaligram Tiwari

I have no idea how you view the elections that took place in Nepal after the restoration of democracy in 1990. But, I was baffled by the bizarre election the royal regime has staged today. Its the election taking place after seven years but is marked by series of attacks across the country by the Maoists; the nation is crippled by weeklong Bandh and gullibe people are deceived into this sham election. Though, state paranoia is palpable everywhere, the ministrial decree to shoot anyone who disturbs the poll shows its apogee. There could be no weird situation than this.

While I am sitting here at Kantipur Complex and watching the empty streets, minimal vehicular movements, mainly that of army or police vehicles, it propels me to ask myself: where is this nation heading? My mates tell me there were very few turn out of voters in the polling booths. Few people bothered to cast there vote, but anyone could tell that this must be the worst election any government has ever organized in the world. But, when things go terribly wrong, who can stop?

When The Kathmandu Post reporter Post B. Basnet informed me that the number of votes cast in and around the city was very low, I couldn't stop laughing. Kathmandu Municipality has the population of around one million. There must be some 5 lakh eligible voters here. The voter numbers, apparently, will hardly be more than five thousand. But, the state is using all of its propaganda to legitimise its deeds. So, the state-controlled media can dessiminate the wrong infos. There's no dearth of Nepali versions of Goebbles. But, it must be clear to world that this election is bogus practice of few bogeymen.