Four women are contesting the upcoming House of Representatives election in Banke district, scheduled for Faguun 21. Krishna KC (Namuna) is running from Banke Constituency 1, while Vidya Sharma, Bhumi Mahatara, and Bhagwati Shah are candidates from Banke Constituency 3. KC is representing the Progressive Democratic Party, Sharma is from the Aam Janata Party, Mahatara from the Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party, and Shah is running as an independent candidate.
Advocates have described the candidacy of these women as a strong act of courage, challenging patriarchal norms that assume only men can actively participate in politics. By running directly in constituencies rather than being listed in proportional representation, the four women are demonstrating their determination to participate in mainstream electoral politics.
Krishna KC, a resident of Rapti Sonari–9, Solukhumbu, has previously served as a member of the Lumbini Provincial Assembly. Having won elections in 2074 and 2079 B.S. representing the Maoist Centre, she resigned from the provincial assembly to contest the federal House of Representatives election with the Progressive Democratic Party. KC has stated that her goal is to address people’s issues more effectively at the federal level, with education, health, and social justice as her main agenda. She will compete against male candidates including Surya Dhakal (CPN-UML), Narayan Prasad Gaudel (Nepali Congress), Suresh Kumar Chaudhary (Rastriya Swatantra Party), and Narendra Pandey (Nepali Communist Party).
Vidya Sharma, a resident of Nepalgunj–16 Jaispur, is well-known for her active engagement in local social work. Representing the Aam Janata Party, Sharma has pledged to bring citizens’ daily concerns and local issues to parliament. She emphasizes using politics as a tool to solve grassroots problems.
Bhumi Mahatara of Khajura Rural Municipality–3, running for the Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party, focuses her campaign on the upliftment of workers and marginalized communities. Her election platform centers on fighting social discrimination and oppression.
Bhagwati Shah, a resident of Baijanath Rural Municipality–4, is running independently. She has stated that she aims to work above party lines to address real public concerns and promote social development.
In Banke Constituency 3, these women candidates will compete against male candidates including Suman Malla (CPN-UML), Amarsingh Pun (Nepali Congress), Khagendra Sunar (Rastriya Swatantra Party), and Deepak GM (Nepali Communist Party).
Across the three constituencies of Banke, a total of 60 candidates initially filed nominations. Following withdrawals, including Saraswati Prasad Barma and Vijay Kumar Gupta in Constituency 2, and Pradeep Paudel and Deepak Bahadur Shahi in Constituency 3, the final count stands at 56 candidates: 14 in Constituency 1, 20 in Constituency 2, and 22 in Constituency 3.
According to District Election Officer Tek Bahadur Shahi, Constituency 1 includes Kohalpur Municipality, Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality, and Narainapur Rural Municipality, covering all 30 wards with 124,727 registered voters. There are 48 polling stations with 141 polling centers in this constituency.
Constituency 2 includes 21 wards of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City and six wards of Duduwa Rural Municipality, with a total of 108,290 registered voters—57,117 men, 51,167 women, and six others. Voting will be conducted across 43 polling stations with 124 polling centers.
Constituency 3 covers 16 and 17 wards of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, all six wards of Janaki Rural Municipality, all eight wards of Khajura Rural Municipality, and all eight wards of Baijanath Rural Municipality, totaling 117,354 voters—58,664 men and 58,689 women.
This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. Translated with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
