11 - 24 October 2013 #677

Swing votes

Jan Møller Hansen
DASAIN's UNDERBELLY: In Kathmandu’s slums, thousands of riverside residents have little time for politics. But they are putting up a traditional Dasain bamboo swing (above).
To the three-festival season of Dasain, Tihar, and Chhat, add elections in November. The campaign period falls smack in the middle of the festivals and the political parties will be using them for public relations mileage. The party that throws the best party will have an advantage. The Himalmedia Weekly Bazar Polls carried out by this paper shows a stirring of interest in elections, now that they seem inevtiatable. The number of ‘don’t know/won’t say’ respondents is going down and the popularity ratings of top leaders is creeping up correspondingly. The November election is still up for grabs.