Muslim women receive voter education

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, Feb. 28: Voter education has been provided to Muslim women from various areas of Nepalgunj.

After it was found that the votes of women from the Muslim community were more likely to be invalidated due to a lack of voter education, the Information and Human Rights Research Centre, Nepalgunj, with support from the Forum for Women, Law and Development, Kathmandu, conducted a voter education programme for Muslim women in Birta village, Nepalgunj-21.

Bishwajit Tiwari, President of the Information and Human Rights Research Centre, Nepalgunj, said that the voter education programme was organised targeting the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.

He said that since most of the wards later added to Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City are rural areas, the voter education programme specifically targeted Muslim women in those communities. As part of the programme, participants were taught how to cast their votes properly, and a mock voting session was also conducted.

Most of the Muslim women participating in the voter education programme had taken part in previous elections. However, they said their votes were often invalidated due to a lack of proper knowledge about the voting process. They said they learned clearly and confidently this time.

Jamila Khan, a local resident of Nepalgunj-21 who participated in the programme, said, “Without proper education, we may not know how to vote correctly. That is why the voter education proved fruitful."

She added that during elections, political parties and candidates come asking for votes, but no one teaches people how to vote properly.

Rabindra Gyawali facilitated the voter education programme and provided information about the election code of conduct, voter rights and responsibilities, ballot papers, and important things to keep in mind while voting.

The women participating in the programme were also allowed to practice through a mock voting session.

Tiwari said that effective voter education can play a significant role in increasing voter participation and reducing the number of invalid votes. Most of the Muslim women in the area participated in the programme.