Direct candidacies were registered for the 21 Falgun elections on Tuesday. The election fervor was seen across the country with the dancing, singing and sloganeering of the candidate leaders and their workers. Although some candidates may be out of the field due to reasons such as withdrawal of candidacy and disqualification, the list of their candidates has now been finalized for the public.

The people will spend the next one and a half months evaluating the candidates, listening to their agendas, comparing them, putting their aspirations before the candidates, and seeking commitment. The easier and more trusting the dialogue between citizens and candidates is, the more mature the parliament will be. However, the parties have made many shortcomings in the selection of candidates. Therefore, a discussion on their working style is necessary. This will help the parties to introspect and improve their weaknesses.

3486 candidates have registered their candidacies for 165 seats in the House of Representatives. Out of the total candidates, 3089 (88.61 percent) are men, 396 (11.35 percent) are women, and 1 (0.02 percent) is others. The gender ratio of the candidates is unbalanced. However, there has been a slight increase in the number and percentage in this election compared to the 2079 election.

In 2079, out of the total 2412 candidates, 225 (9.32 percent) were women. Although this time there was an increase of two percent, this is not satisfactory. The parties are responsible for this. Since the parties do not give priority to female candidates in the direct elections, there are fewer female candidates compared to male candidates. Such unbalanced candidacies risk transforming the election into a competition between men.

Since there are only a few female candidates registered in the direct elections, there will also be fewer winning candidates. This will lead to a situation where women will have to rely on the proportional system for their presence in the House of Representatives. This will also create an imbalance between the two systems – direct and proportional – among the mixed electoral systems.

Therefore, the parties should express a commitment to increase female candidacies in the upcoming elections, they should give inclusive authority to female leaders as needed. The Election Commission and the concerned organizations should increase pressure on the parties. Women leaders should also increase their claims.

The age group of candidates is dominated by 36-50 years. A total of 46.21 percent of the candidates are in this age group. Similarly, 16.73 percent are in the 25-35 age group, 31.29 percent are in the 51-65 age group, and 5.77 percent are above 65 years. After the Gen-G movement, the number of candidates from the young (especially 25-35 years) age group was expected to increase. However, this did not happen.

This suggests that leaders who had already established political positions in established parties were given the opportunity to become candidates. It also seems that the parties have not taken the initiative to nominate the new generation as candidates and the new generation has not taken the initiative to become candidates themselves. Overall, the number of candidates aged 25-50 is about 63 percent. Although this is encouraging, the lower age group did not dominate.

Another notable aspect of this election is the lack of alliances between the previous major parties. In 2074 and 2079, the parties had to face criticism from the voters because they formed alliances during the elections. If such alliances were based on a common program and were long-term, the criticism would have been less. However, there was a tendency to ask voters for votes by promising to move forward together before the election, but after the election, they went wherever it would be beneficial.

It became clear that the parties were trying to create a syndicate rather than having a sacred purpose and being honest about it. In the 2074 election, the UML and the Maoists had formed an alliance. They promised to unify the party later. However, due to internal strife, the party did not remain intact. In the 2079 elections, the Congress, Maoists, Unified Socialists, LSP and Rajma had formed a ruling coalition.

But after the election results came out, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal formed a government in alliance with parties including UML. This time, since the parties participated in the elections in their own way, they will also get an opportunity to test their status and improve themselves as needed.

It seems that the parties have been coercing some candidates. The parties have nominated those who would be suspended even if they win. For example, Tek Bahadur Gurung, who was convicted by a special court and is facing a trial in the Supreme Court, has become a candidate from the Congress. Madhav Kumar, who is fighting a corruption case in the Patanjali land case, has become a candidate from the Nepal Communist Party. Ravi Lamichhane, who was released on bail in cooperative fraud and money laundering, has become a candidate from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.