BAJURA, FEBRUARY 3 With a crucial House of Representatives election just weeks away, local officials and community leaders say that remote polling centers in Bajura district where the majority of registered voters have already left for the season, are unlikely to return in time to cast their ballots. Gumba village, nestled at roughly 2,700 metres above sea level in Himali Rural Municipality–3, has 73 registered voters. But on the ground, only 17 remain. The rest have migrated to lower-altitude areas to escape the brutal winter cold, a pattern that repeats every year without fail. 'Most of them have moved to Achham, Doti, and other lower regions,' said local resident Jagat Bahadur Lama. 'Only a few elderly people and children are left here. The others locked up their homes and left.' The HoR poll is scheduled for Falgun 21, however, residents typically do not return to Gumba until the last week of Chaitra, weeks after the vote will have already taken place. The issue extends far beyond a single polling centre. According to the Bhote Indigenous Federation, more than 500 Bhote families, comprising over 2,700 registered voters, live across Bajura. Of that number, more than 70 percent are expected to be unable to participate in the election due to seasonal migration, said Nrip Thapa, former president of the federation. Bhote communities are primarily settled in Badimalika Municipality–7 Dhamkane; Budhinanda Municipality wards 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10; and Himali Rural Municipality wards 2 and 3. Heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures force annual migrations to lower regions, a cycle that has persisted for generations. Lalu Kunwar, a Gumba resident currently staying in Martadi, said the cold in Falgun remains too severe for him to make the journey back. 'Neither I nor my wife can travel that far to vote,' he said. Both are over 70 years old. Gumba is reported to be the polling centre with the fewest registered voters in all of Bajura. The centre was only established in 2074 BS, when just 28 voters were on the rolls. It was set up to serve 25 families from Gumba and 12 from the neighbouring area of Lampata. The nearest other polling centre, Boudi, which has 478 registered voters, is a full day's walk away, further isolating Gumba residents from alternatives. Chhiring Dorje Lama, another local resident, said that while a few voters might make the trip back for the election, most will not. 'The ones who are still here are mostly the elderly,' he said. 'Everyone else has already gone.'