Parties blamed for excluding women, Dalits in nominations

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Hile, Jan. 22: In Dhankuta, a total of 18 candidates, representing political parties and independents, have filed nominations for the House of Representatives election. Dhankuta has only one constituency. 

Candidates from 14 political parties and four independent candidates have registered their nominations. The parties include the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress, Nepali Communist Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Mongol National Organisation, among others.

From the Nepali Congress, district president Dinesh Rai filed his nomination. Rai is a new face in the House of Representatives elections.

From the CPN-UML, central committee member and Dhankuta in-charge Rajendra Rai had once again filed his nomination. This is his fourth candidacy. He was defeated by Sunil Bahadur Thapa in the second Constituent Assembly election. Later, he defeated Thapa and was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives, serving as a minister twice.

From the Nepal Communist Party, Dharmaraj Paudel is contesting for the second time. In the first Constituent Assembly election, he was defeated by Hariraj Khewa. Meanwhile, Dinesh Bhandari, who has filed his nomination as a candidate from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Bibhatshu Thapa from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party are new faces in politics. In addition, candidates from the Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party, Mongol National Organisation, Shram Sanskriti Party, Aam Janata Party, and four other candidates are also new entrants.

There are no Dalit or female candidates in the direct election category. Chief Election Officer Harishchandra Ingnam informed that among the 18 candidates who filed nominations, none were women or Dalits. Of the 18 candidates, 14 are Janajati men, and four are Khas-Arya men.

Kopila Shankar, chairperson of Dalit Ekta Samaj Dhankuta and a rights activist, complained that political parties had neglected women and Dalits by not providing tickets in the direct election category. She stated that although the Constitution commits to building an equitable society based on proportional, inclusive, and participatory principles, major political parties had ignored Dalit communities and women in candidate selection.

Nepali Congress Dhankuta secretary Bijay Santoshi Rai stated that the district committee only had the authority to make recommendations, and since women in the district did not express interest, they were not recommended.

Similarly, CPN-UML Dhankuta secretary Parshuram Nepal said that women and Dalits were not neglected, but that candidate selection was done by the central leadership, leaving the district without decision-making authority. 

Nepali Communist Party Dhankuta coordinator Kusum Kumari Shrestha said that although the district had recommended women, Dalit, and Janajati candidates, they were not selected when the central committee finalised the candidates.