32 women in Lumbini Province Assembly

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT,Butwal, Dec. 13: Thirty two of 78 members in Lumbini Provincial Assembly (PA) will be women. Since only one woman, Krishna KC from Banke, got elected in the first-past-the-post (FPTP) category, the political parties are under pressure to nominate 31 women in proportional representation (PR) category. The Constitutional provision states that 33 per cent women should be included in Provincial Assemblies. 

In Lumbini, the political parties were able to get a total of 35 seats in PR category. CPN-UML has won 11 seats, Nepali Congress (NC) 10 seats, CPN (MC) four seats,. Likewise, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party have won two seats each and Janata Samajwadi Party, CPN (US), Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and Rastriya Janamorcha one seat each. The parties sent the name list to Election Commission on Sunday.  

The NC, which has won in 17 Constituencies in FPTP category, was able to get 10 seats in PR in Lumbini PA. The 10 women picked by it include Jamuna Dhakal (Rupandehi), Nima Giri (Pyuthan), Malati Sodari (Bardiya) in Khas Arya category and Dhana Laxmi Shrestha (Pyuthan) and Maya Pun (Banke) in Indigenous category. Similarly, Devi Prasad Chaudhary (Rupandehi) and Sanjay Kumari Chaudhary (Banke) in Tharu category, Sushila Badi (Dang) in Madhesi category, Loki Kumari BK (Dang) in Dalit category and Mina Kumari Siddiki (Banke) in Muslim category. 

Likewise, CPN-UML, which has won in 18 constituencies, was able to secure 11 seats under PR category. It picked Janaki Neupane (Rupandehi) and Basanti Neupane (Banke) in Khas Arya women category and Sarita Pun (Rukum East), Yamuna Roka Tamang (Rolpa) in Indigenous category. Similarly, Sita Chaudhary (Dang) and Bagwati Kumari Tharuni (Rupandehi) in Tharu category, Indra Kumari Gahatraj (Palpa) and Rekha Kumari Sharma (Dang) in Dalit category, Shanti Lodh (Rupandehi) in Madhesi category and Rasha Banu (Banke) in minority and Muslim category. It nominated Giri Ghari Lal Neupane in Khas Arya men category.

CPN (MC) has picked two men and two women in PR category. It includes Bhakti Prasad Acharya (Arghakhachi) in Khas Arya category, Yam Bahadur Nepali (Gulmi) in Dalit category, Dil Kumari Budha (Rukum East) in Janajati category and Krishna Tharu (Bardiya) in Tharu category.

Similarly, Nagarik Unmukti Party has recommended Nirmala Kumari Tharu Chaudhary (Rupandehi) and Nori Kumari Chaudhary in PR category. Rastriya Janamorcha Patry picked Tara Thapa (Gulmi), Janata Samajwadi Party picked Ambika Kafle (Bardiya), CPN (US) picked Bhagwati Adhikari Ghimere (Rupandehi), Janamat Party picked Suman Rayamahi (Bardiya) and Gita Gurung (Rupandehi) in PR category. 

Representatives from 10 political parties  are in the Lumbini PA. Though only eight parties have won in the  FPTP category, other two parties were able to get seats under PR. In Lumbini, 32 parties had participated in the election, with three independent candidates winning the election to the Provincial Assembly. The representation of political parties has doubled  compared to 2017 election when  since only five parties were in the  Provincial Assembly.