HCC Graduate and current HCC staff member Laxmi returned to her hometown to vote in the first local and municipal elections held in Nepal in 20 years. Laxmi wrote this reflection on her experience returning home to vote.
The trip to Sindhupalchok, the place where I was born, and visiting my maternal uncle was fun. It was a new experience for me and being able to vote for the first time felt great. This local election was held for the first time in 20 years, and I was delighted to be able to choose the representatives from my village who I saw possessing the potential to develop my village. My maternal aunt was also one of the representatives in the Women’s Representatives from UML (Unified Marxist-Leninist) party, the Communist Party of Nepal. The election was held on 14th May 2017.
I had to walk an hour to reach the voting place. The line was manageable, and I was able to vote without waiting for a long time. I voted for the UML party as this is the party who has vowed to develop our village in the overall aspects necessary, and many of my family members were members of this party for a very long time. As there were many parties with lots of people voting, it has been difficult for the government to publish the voting results on time. Still, we have many of the wards’ voting results, and from my ward, all the panel of UML won. I am happy that my vote was worth it and the party who I voted for won.
The election went well, and I also had a reunion with my family after 3 years. I met my old grandmothers and spent time with them. The village doesn’t have good facilities like here in Kathmandu but they have a happy life there. The people are helpful and kind to the neighbors supporting each other. The air is much cleaner, and we get to eat organic food. This factor makes the village life happy.
We youth should have an interest in politics directly or indirectly. Even if we can’t be actively involved in it, we should utilize our voting rights. My 1st voting experience was good, and I am happy that I used my voting rights.
