BIRATNAGAR: As the upcoming House of Representatives election approaches, candidates from Morang Constituency No. 4 are visiting Katahari to seek votes, promising to complete the five-kilometer dilapidated road there. This is not the first time. For years, political parties have repeatedly made this road — part of the Rangeli–Haatkhola section in Morang — an election agenda. The road falls under the Postal Highway project, but after being excavated, it was left incomplete. During the rainy season it turns muddy, and at other times it becomes unbearably dusty, leaving residents frustrated.

Pramila Devi Kamat of Katahari Rural Municipality–1 complains that leaders always make promises about this unfinished road during election campaigns but never follow through afterward. Running a snack shop at Katahari Chowk for two decades, she says, “We protested, staged sit-ins demanding the road be built, but no one listened.”

Pramila Devi Kamat

The contract to build the five-kilometer road was awarded in 2019 (2076 BS). However, even after six years, it remains incomplete. Shrestha Construction, which received the contract worth 760 million rupees, has completed only 27 percent of the work by 2023 (2080 BS).

Pramila Devi’s anger is especially directed toward those who won previous elections. “During the 2022 (2079 BS) campaign, Maoist Center candidate Aman Lal Modi promised to take initiative to complete this road. He won and even became a minister, but the road was not built,” she says. “Now he has come again as a candidate from the Nepali Communist Party. We will answer him through our vote.”

Under the scorching sun of 23 February, 53-year-old Mohammad Samsul Miya was standing outside his meat shop at Katahari Chowk–2. His face reflected frustration and exhaustion. Dust blown by passing vehicles affects both his health and business. Once, he sold meat from three to four goats daily. Now, even selling one goat is difficult. “Customers refuse to enter when they see the dust,” he says. “Because of the road dust, I constantly suffer from colds and coughs. No one sees our suffering.”

He says it has become difficult even to pay shop rent after business declined.

Fifty meters east of Samsul’s shop, Gulam Mussifa, who has also been selling goat meat for two decades, shares the same pain. Dust from the broken road blows directly into his shop. “Before the road was dug up, I used to sell up to five goats,” Gulam says. “Now it’s hard to sell even 10 kilograms. How will I pay 15,000 rupees monthly rent?”

Gulam Mussifa

This is not just the problem of two shopkeepers. Nearly a hundred businesses and hundreds of households in Katahari Chowk share this hardship.

The severity of the dust problem is reflected in the experience of Ram Bahadur Karki from Katahari–4. When he sits down to eat, he finds a thin layer of dust settling on his rice. “Our doors and windows remain closed 24 hours a day, but what can stop the dust? It settles not just on plates but even on our beds,” he says. “We asked for development, but we received disease and suffering instead.”

Katahari Chowk

Because the road remains incomplete, this section has effectively become a “death road.” According to data from the Morang District Traffic Police Office, since fiscal year 2022/23 (2079/80 BS), 14 people have lost their lives and 139 have been injured in accidents on this road. Local resident Dilip Adhikari says that despite protests — including planting paddy on the road and blocking it — authorities have not responded.

While candidates in Morang-4 distribute ambitious promises during the campaign, voters in Katahari are focused on this very road.

Sixty-year-old Dilip Sah, who has been running a snack shop in Katahari for 35 years, says he will vote not for those who promise but for those who can actually deliver. Speaking about the hardship caused by the incomplete road, he says, “I work hard all morning preparing snacks, and the day-long dust ruins everything.”

Ashok Ram Moche

In front of his shop, Ashok Ram Moche of Katahari–3 repairs shoes and sandals. Wearing a mask all day to work, he says, “The old parties’ leaders can’t get anything done. If they can’t even build a five-kilometer road, why vote for them? This time, I’ll vote for someone new.”

A three-way contest

The electoral competition in Morang Constituency No. 4 is particularly interesting this time. Leaders who previously collaborated in the last two elections are now facing each other. Former minister and leader of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), Aman Lal Modi, is aiming for a “hat-trick” victory in this constituency. With a significant Tharu community presence in the area, Modi maintains strong influence. However, unlike in 2022 when he won with alliance support from the Nepali Congress, he now faces the challenge of contesting without coalition backing. In 2022, he secured 30,612 votes, defeating UML’s Binod Dhakal.

This time, the candidacy of former journalist Santosh Rajbanshi from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has unsettled leaders of traditional parties. In 2022, RSP secured 5,333 votes in this constituency, and observers estimate that this number may increase this time.

From the Nepali Congress, General Secretary Guru Raj Ghimire is in the race. For him, this election is a test of political comeback. Known as a powerful speaker, Ghimire is trying to restore the Nepali Congress’ traditional base. The UML has fielded its central committee member and former Koshi Province minister Jeevan Ghimire. In the 2022 local elections, UML won 18 out of 23 wards in this constituency, providing him with a strong organizational base. However, since he was defeated by Nepali Congress candidate Bhim Parajuli in the provincial assembly election, retaining UML’s vote base remains his main challenge.

This time, the candidacy of former journalist Santosh Rajbanshi from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has unsettled leaders of traditional parties. In 2022, RSP secured 5,333 votes in this constituency, and observers estimate that this number may increase this time.

Morang-4 has 119,255 registered voters. The constituency includes Gramthan, Katahari, some wards of Belbari, and key wards of Biratnagar Metropolitan City. In the 2022 proportional representation votes, the Nepali Congress ranked first (19,555 votes), UML second (18,386 votes), and the then Maoist Center third (9,760 votes).