Dipayal, February 1

At a time when the leaders of various Madhes-based parties are agitating over racial and regional issues, Nepali Congress has set an example by electing a man belonging to the Madhesi community as its constituency-based representative for the hills.

Rambabu Yadav, 37, of Dhanusha, Badedabela VDC-3 won the Dipayal Silgadhi Municipal Convention with majority votes. He had come to Doti district headquarters Dipayal about 30 years ago with his father. Yadav runs a sweets shop in Dipayal.

He expressed happiness upon being elected as a constituency-based representative with majority votes from the hilly community despite belonging to a different regional background.

The prospect of being elected was a distant hope for him as he had received NC’s active membership just last year. “I’m a man from a different region, so I had little hope of winning.

However, unlike the present feeling of regionalism, most of the hilly folks voted for me and helped me win,” said Yadav.

He added saying, “At a point, the Madhes agitation made me believe that the regional harmony between Nepalis had been violated.

But my win has proved it wrong. If a man like me can win regional election, what more do we need as a testament to the fact that the new constitution ensures equal rights and opportunity to all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity?” he wondered.

Another candidate, Hikmatsingh Chopada, was also elected in the convention.

Chopda’s father had come to Dadeldhura about 60 years ago in search of a job from India. Chopada, who was born here and has a Nepali citizenship, lives at Pipalla in Silgadhi Municipality-7.

Having received the general membership of the party about ten years ago, he has been an active member of the party for the past six years. He was elected from the party’s minority quota.