Voting begins in Nepal's flood-hit, flashpoint province

By Deepak Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Nepal

Tens of thousands of Nepalis went to the polls on Monday in a flashpoint province in the country's southeastern region to elect their local representatives in the final stage of local elections that are key to implementing the country's two-year-old constitution.

Thousands of security officers were deployed in eight districts in the region bordering India, which over the years has been in turmoil due to a disagreement over the constitution promulgated in 2015.

Originally scheduled for June, the polls were delayed due to protests from a regional party representing Madhesis, the ethnic minority of the area.

The group says they were discriminated by the state and opposed the 2015 constitution, which led to the death of over 50 people in clashes between security forces and protesters from August to November 2015.

Casualties included 10 police officers.

The Madhesis share close cultural links across the border in India.

In the weeks before the delivery of the constitution, protests erupted in the region, leading to a border blockade, which crippled the landlocked country which is dependent on India for daily goods and supplies.

But the protesting leaders allowed the government to hold polls after their demands, including releasing their supporters and compensation for the families of killed in protest, were met by the government.

Some 2.6 million voters are eligible to cast their ballot for mayors, deputy mayors and other officials for a metropolitan city, three sub-metropolitan cities, 73 municipalities, and 59 village councils.

The region was hit by floods in August, which left 150 dead and tens of thousands homeless.

More than 33,000 candidates, with at least 33 percent of them women as per constitutional requirement, are fighting for a total of 6,627 positions across the province.

Ram Kumar Chaudhary, a 52-year-old farmer in Rupani village of Saptari district, said he voted for candidates who he hoped would work for the development of his infrastructure-deprived village in the southern plains.

"We have road problems. My house and my paddy field were inundated in floods. I and my family have suffered a lot," Chaudhary, a member of the indigenous Tharu community, told Anadolu Agency on the phone.

"We want our representatives to ensure that our homes won’t be flooded next year," he added.

Monday's election will be closely fought among the candidates of the ruling Nepali Congress, opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal, which represents the Madhesis.

It marks the final round of local polls held after 20 years.

Nepal endured a decade-long civil war until 2006.

The country's transition to peace followed a period of political instability, which prevented it from holding crucial local elections in this ethnically and geographically diverse South Asian nation.

The country is holding general elections and polls for provincial assemblies later this year.