A total of 90 candidates, including 15 women, have registered their candidacies in Jhapa district for the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21. The nominations were filed across five constituencies in the district, with two independent candidates also among the total. According to the Office of the Chief Election Officer, women make up only about 17 percent of the total candidates.
Data from the election office show that the CPN-UML has not fielded a single woman candidate under the direct election system in any of Jhapa’s five constituencies. This has once again raised questions about political parties’ commitment to women’s representation in direct parliamentary contests.
Constituency No. 2 has the highest number of women candidates. Those contesting from this constituency include Sarita Prasai of the Nepali Congress, Dharmashila Chapagain of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Indira Rana Magar of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Chandrakumari Garu of the Shram Sanskriti Party, and Amrita Lawati of the Federal Democratic National Forum. From the CPN-UML, former Speaker Devraj Ghimire has registered his candidacy in the same constituency.
In Constituency No. 1, Nisha Dangi of the RSP and Rama Meche of the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) are contesting the election. Constituency No. 3 features Chandrakala Sawa of the Federal Democratic National Forum, Dharmalakshmi Duval of Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party (NEMKIPA), and Binitakumari Rajbanshi of the JSP.
Two women candidates are contesting from Constituency No. 4, namely Amritadevi Rai of the Shram Sanskriti Party and Tulsi Laxmi Dumaru of NEMKIPA. In Constituency No. 5, three women have entered the race against high-profile candidates including CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and RSP’s Balen Shah. The women candidates in this constituency are Mandhara Chimiriya from the Nepali Congress and independents Ranjita Gautam and Shobha Bhandari.
Despite constitutional provisions guaranteeing 33 percent women’s participation at all levels of the state, rights activists have questioned political parties’ lack of commitment in direct elections. Journalist Bhima Shivakoti stated that major parties advocating inclusion have failed to trust women candidates in direct contests. He noted that the low number of women nominees compared to total candidacies shows that pathways for women to reach policymaking levels remain narrow, as parties continue to prioritize men for direct tickets while confining women largely to proportional representation lists.
This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. Translated with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
