Kathmandu . An election is a beautiful aspect of a democratic government system in which people of the nation have the right to select their representatives by casting votes in favour of the person who they want to vote for. Elections are tools through which people of the nation elect the right persons as their representatives. Elected representatives have the right to perform legal activities including constitution formation to government formation. So, the right person needs to be selected and elected for such activities which will work in favour of people whose votes he is provided for his selection. Being a multi-party federal democratic nation, Nepal has been practising the democratic election system with participating people in elections legally providing the right to elect their representatives.

Some scholars, social activists and political analysts argue that because of the lack of awareness, lack of education, poverty and unemployment people of Nepal easily believe in leaders who have been cheating on them for many years by providing them with election-oriented aspirations and commitments. The leaders have not fulfilled such election-oriented aspirations and commitments so far. Leaders are clever enough to cheat the voters by being humble, desirable and believing givers during the election. They visit door to door of voters pretending that they are real and intimate of them being more concerned with issues and problems of voters and also providing strong commitments to them. This is a great weapon for leaders through which they keep people in favour of them. So, selling fake aspirations and commitments by visiting door to door of people during the election period is a popular culture in Nepal.

As we saw in the local level election, some new faces were elected in the local bodies which are the best signal of disbelieving people towards the political system and parties in Nepal. Balendra Shah in Kathmandu, Hark Sampang in Dharan, Gopi Hamal in Dhangadhi, etc are few exemplary elected candidates in local-level elections in Nepal. This is a signal that voters are fed up with the leaders because they only promise the betterment of people during elections. Their manifesto is an illusion paper for voters because it contains only hypothetical points which seem catchy and unreally real for voters because of which they cast votes hoping for a better and prosperous future. But some voters are more aware of such an illusion; therefore they provided golden chances to new faces in the local level election.

Many people are not satisfied with the fake leaders even though they are voting for them. Sometimes it is their compulsion that they have to elect one better amongst the worst ones because there is no other choice remaining. Many people have been convinced by the fake commitments and aspirations of their leaders. It is the surprising fact and evidence that people are still convinced of the aspirations and commitments of leaders even though they have been deceived by such leaders many times. Most of the youth people are also following such leaders being blind and deaf and fight for them with their family members and relatives for the sake of such leaders. This is an astonishing magic of such leaders that is why even so-called educated youths are following them blindly.

Though, mainstream political parties have been facing alarming clues time and again in the journey of their political dishonesty. As a result of their dishonesty in all domains, the Gen-Z movement and other minor movements from the side of youths and victimised citizens respectively have become challenges for deep-rooted and corruption oriented political parties and their leaders. These movements are the explosions of victimization and suppression over citizens on the name of this and that by the so-called democratic parties. Saying so, it does not mean that the consequences of the Gen-Z movement are praiseworthy for the nation. Obviously, the consequences are very bad for the nation and its citizens.

The best remedy to keep the political leaders on the right track is to provide chances to new faces which challenge the aspiration selling leaders to act for betterment of people and nation. This action can correct the direction of political parties and leaders avoiding political hypocrisy. So, the election can be the medicine to recover the Nepali political system punishing the leaders and parties for their false commitments to voters. The election system needs to be monitored consciously for making the election corruption free and democratic. Leaders are not only selling political aspirations and commitments but also buying votes for winning the election. So, to minimize these issues during elections, voter education, awareness programmes and election-related campaign need to be administered to keep the election in a democratic way.

Thus, voters must be aware of such false and never fulfilling aspirations and commitments. They need to elect the right persons as their true representatives who are really committed to solving the problems of their voters and the nation.

Author: Mahesh Singh Saud, Teacher Malikarjun Secondary School, Darchula