If we are to move forward in accordance with the current constitution and laws, all parties must strengthen community diversity in their direct candidacies.
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The inclusive system has been adopted with the aim of ensuring diverse representation in every organ and body according to the demographic pattern of the diverse Nepali society. It takes all organs and bodies of the state into a rainbow-like form like society. On the other hand, it involves the participation of marginalized and oppressed communities in the decision-making process of the state.
Ultimately, everyone's belonging to the state increases. Equal contribution is made to development and prosperity. When examining the nature of the parliament/constituent assembly before and after the 2062/63 people's movement, it is seen that there has been a significant improvement in terms of inclusiveness. Especially, women's representation has increased. Representation from different castes has been ensured and has also increased comparatively.
However, since the concept of inclusiveness is not honestly applied by the Constitution and laws of Nepal and loopholes are left in some places, the representation of Khas Aryas is still seen to be high in the House of Representatives. Which has reduced the representation of other communities. To correct this kind of imbalance, it is necessary to improve the constitution, law and practice.
According to the 2048 census, the representation of Khas Arya in the total population of Nepal was 31.6 percent. However, in the 2048 election for the 205-member House of Representatives, the representation of this community increased to 53.7 percent. Similarly, in the 2051 election, it increased to 62.4 percent and in the 2056 election, it increased to 58 percent.
Even though the representation of non-Khas Arya communities was more than two-thirds, their overall representation was not even half. The representation of communities such as Adibasi, Dalit, Tharu, Muslim and others in terms of their individual population ratio was pathetic. For example, in 2048, there was only one Dalit. In 2051 and 2056, not a single person was represented.
Criticism grew that this made the state's operation and decision-making process one-sided and Khas Arya-friendly. Mainly, the Maoists, who started the armed conflict in 2052, emphasized it more. Due to which, the issue of inclusion became stronger with the people's movement of 2062/63 and the peace process that began thereafter. This began to see some changes in the face of the parliament.
In the first Constituent Assembly election held in 2064 after the people's movement, the representation of Khas Arya was only 33.4 percent. In the census held in 2058, the population of this community was 31.2 percent. That is, representation in the Parliament/Constituent Assembly was based on the share of the population. This helped increase the representation of non-Khas Arya communities.
In the election held for 240 members through direct and 335 members through proportional representation, seven people from the Dalit community won directly and 43 people through proportional representation. However, since the constitution was promulgated, the representation of Khas Aryas has been increasing. When the 2074 elections were held, the population of Khas Aryas was 31.3 percent. But the representation of this community in the parliament had reached 43.6 percent.
In the 2079 and 2082 elections, while the population of Khas Aryas was 30.1 percent, their representation in the House of Representatives has reached 48.4 and 48.7 percent, respectively. If the current electoral system and constitutional and legal provisions are maintained, the representation of Khas Acharyas in the House of Representatives will increase further in the coming days and the representation of other communities will decrease. Which goes against the essence of the inclusive system.
In both the elections to the Constituent Assembly, 240 members were directly elected and 335 members were elected proportionally. The remaining 26 members were nominated by the Council of Ministers. Since the number of people elected through proportional representation was higher than those elected through direct representation, it contributed to greater representation of the Khas Arya community. However, when the constitution was promulgated in 2072, the proportion of directly elected MPs was increased.
In the 275-member House of Representatives, 165 were elected directly and 110 through proportional representation. This theoretically did not support inclusive proportional representation. In the direct representation, most people from the Khas Arya community are getting tickets and winning more. In the proportional representation too, the number of seats won by the party should be increased by Khas Arya.
For example, this time, out of the 57 seats won by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) through proportional representation, 17 people have been represented by the Khas Arya community. This is a provision of the law and the proportional election guidelines. Whereas, in the direct election, 102 out of 165 were from the Khas Arya community and 78 of them won.
In this way, since the Khas Arya community wins more in the direct election and also has more representation in the proportional election, the number of this community is higher in the House of Representatives. On the other hand, even if a certain number of representation is ensured in the proportional election, the percentage of representation of marginalized communities in the overall size of the House of Representatives will be low.
There may be some measures for improvement. First, if we move forward according to the current constitution and laws, all parties should strengthen community diversity in their candidacies in the direct election. If strong parties field more candidates from different communities, their chances of winning will be higher and it will also improve diverse representation.
Second, just as one-third of women are almost guaranteed in the federal parliament, the parties representing in the federal parliament must increase their number to one-third, similarly, a provision to ensure community representation can be put into practice. If a community that is underrepresented through direct elections is compensated through proportional representation, it will weaken the dominance of the Khas Aryas. Third, the constitution itself can be amended to adopt a fully proportional system. That would ensure representation in parliament according to the proportion of the population. However, political consensus is essential for such issues.
