As many as 119 parties are ready to contest the upcoming House of Representatives elections. As of Sunday, the deadline for registering parties to participate in the elections, 120 applications have been received from 119 parties.

According to the Election Commission, 6 applications have been received from 14 parties for two or more parties to jointly use a single election symbol. Out of these, 9 parties have also submitted separate applications to the Commission. In addition, 105 parties have applied for party registration for the purpose of contesting the election alone, the Commission has stated. 

All 14 parties represented in the dissolved House of Representatives appear ready to be tested by the public. 25 parties that were registered just a month ago have also come forward to challenge the old political forces. Apart from that, other parties registered with the Commission are also preparing to go to the election.

The number of parties registered with the Election Commission has reached 143. Parties registered with the Commission must register a separate party to participate in the House of Representatives election. The time for that was fixed from 1 Mangsir to Sunday. After investigating the applications, the Commission will prepare the final list of parties on 20 Mangsir. The list will be published in the Gazette. Only parties listed in the registration book will be allowed to participate in the upcoming election.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari says that the applications submitted by political parties to participate in the upcoming House of Representatives elections are encouraging. ‘All political parties, both new and old, want to participate in the elections. The Commission has also facilitated in every way so that no political force that wants to contest the elections is left out. Commission employees have been working day and night to register new parties,’ he said, ‘We have tried to give an opportunity to everyone who wants to come.’ 

Bhandari also said that the Commission is ready for the elections from every perspective. ‘Now the atmosphere for the elections has been created. All the foundations have been laid for the elections,’ he said.

On the basis of the Gen-G rebellion, on 27 Bhadra, immediately after becoming Prime Minister, President Ram Chandra Poudel dissolved the House of Representatives and announced the elections based on the recommendations of Sushila Karki. The highest number of political parties participated in the second Constituent Assembly elections held in Mangsir 2070. At that time, 122 parties participated in the elections. It seems that some have registered parties for election purposes but have not filed their candidacies. 74 parties were registered with the intention of participating in the first Constituent Assembly election of 2064, but only 54 parties filed their candidacies. 

20 political parties competed in the first parliamentary election held in 2048 after the restoration of democracy, 24 in the mid-term elections of 2051, and 40 in the general election of 2056. After the promulgation of the constitution by the Constituent Assembly, elections to the House of Representatives were held in 2074 and 2079. Out of 95 parties registered their parties for election purposes in 2074, only 55 participated in the elections. Out of 86 political parties registered for election purposes in 2079, only 61 parties filed their candidacies. 

The Congress, UML, Nepali Communist Party (formed after the unification of the then Maoists and Unified Socialists), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), RPP, JSP, JSP Nepal, Janmat, LOSPA, Nagarik Unmukti, Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party, Rastriya Janamorcha, and Aam Janata Party have applied for party registration to participate in the upcoming elections. Netra Bikram Chand's party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which had been boycotting the elections earlier, has been registered with the Commission. 

The Ujjaya Nepal Party led by former secretary Anup Kumar Upadhyay and the Hamro Party Nepal led by Dalit activist Khagendra Sunar are going to take a single election symbol. Both the parties have jointly applied for party registration with the Commission. 

The Nepal Federal Socialist Party led by former Minister of State for Home Affairs Md. Rizwan is going to contest the elections under a single symbol in collaboration with the Bahujan Ekta Party Nepal and the Nepal Janajagruti Party.

The Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal led by Rajendra Mahato, the Janata Samajwadi Party led by Ashok Kumar Rai and the Nagarik Unmukti Party are also preparing to participate in the House of Representatives elections under a single election symbol. The Sachet Nepali Party and the Nagarik Supremacy Party are also preparing to contest jointly. The Aam Janata Party and the Janadesh Party have applied to the Election Commission to take a single election symbol. The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist) and the Communist Party of Nepal have also filed a joint application to contest the election under the same election symbol. 

What are the new parties?

New parties have been formed by young people, industrialists, businessmen, professors, former administrators, employees, social activists, lawyers and journalists who were not active in politics before. 

Harkaraj Rai, who won the mayoralty of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City as an independent candidate, has formed the Shram Sanskriti Party. The first party registered after the Gen-G movement was Shram Sanskriti. Immediately after the Gen-G movement, he presented himself as a contender for the post of Prime Minister. Arun Gurung, spokesperson of the Shram Sanskriti Party, says that the main objective of the party is to emphasize work and production. ‘We are republicans and culturalists. We accept and respect everyone’s culture,’ he said, ‘We are working on a campaign to expand the party nationwide to accommodate everyone.’ 

Most of the people in the central committee of the Shram Sanskriti Party, as recorded in the commission’s records, are from the tribal community. Rajkumar Tamang is the vice-chairman, Aren Rai is the general secretary, Samita Rai is the treasurer and Arun Gurung is the spokesperson. Spokesperson Gurung says that a 28-member ad hoc committee has been formed just to complete the party registration process. He informed that a 200-member working committee is being formed to include all regions and castes. He claims that 51 percent of the women will be present in it. 

The dynamic democratic party has been launched under the initiative of businessman Birendra Bahadur Basnet. Basnet, the operator of Buddha Air, is a well-known person in the aviation industry. He is a central member of the party. He has not sat on the leadership level as the constitution prohibits party office bearers from contesting elections. The party has entrepreneurs and businessmen and experts in various fields. 

Party chairman Dinesh Raj Prasai is known as a political sociologist. He taught at Tribhuvan University for a long time. Businessman Piyush Kayastha is the general secretary. He is considered an expert in the agricultural sector. He is also a partner in Arju Rice Industry. Two of the five general secretaries are women.

 Central member Jagannath Lamichhane says the party's main objective is to create an entrepreneurship and production-oriented society. He mentioned that increasing employment within the country is a priority. 'The party has given place to experts in the subject accordingly because it aims to work on solutions rather than just pointing out problems,' he said. 'We are not looking for populist people. We are adding people who work on issues.' 

The Civil Liberation Party Nepal has been registered under the leadership of Resham Chaudhary, who is known for raising his voice for Tharu rights. Chaudhary has made Dalit Gen-G Kabir Soap the party's patron and has made him the president. Chaudhary had served a prison sentence after being found guilty by the court for his involvement in the 'Tikapur incident' in 2072 BS that killed police officers. Former Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Abdul Khan is the party's senior vice-president. He left the CK Raut-led Janmat Party and joined the party. General Secretary Uma Shankar Prasad Chaudhary was a member of the Tharu Commission. 

Vice President Khan said that they are in favor of democracy, republic and community-based socialism. He mentioned that the party will strongly raise the issue of federalism with cultural and geographical identity. He said that by making a 25-year-old youth representing the Dalit community the party president, an attempt is being made to give a strong message of generational transfer and inclusion in the leadership. 

Most of the office bearers and members of the newly registered Rastriya Parivartan Party, including the leadership, are Gen-G. President Rajesh Portel himself is Gen-G. Vice President Ajay Kumar Rai claims that the party carries the spirit of the Gen-G movement. He informed that the injured and martyred families of the Gen-G movement are also affiliated with the party. Party President Portel himself was injured in the Gen-G movement in Birtamod. 

The party's central committee has a majority of youth from Koshi Province. There is a lot of representation of the tribal community in it. Anju Rai is the general secretary, Sagar Tamang is the secretary, and Usha Laxmi Tumbahangphe is the treasurer. Riyaz Ahmed Shesh of Banke, who was previously in the Janamat Party, has registered the Rastriya Janamat Party. Most of his party's office bearers and members are from Banke and Kapilvastu. 

The Ujjaya Nepal Party has been registered under the patronage of Kulman Ghising, who is holding the Ministry of Energy, Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development in the federal government. Since he is a minister, he has not formally held any position in the party. Former Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Arun Kumar Upadhyay is the president of the party. Tara Prasad Joshi, Mahendra Sundar Lawati, Ghanashyam Pandey, Sagar Dhakal, Abhishek Raj Singh and other people are associated with this party. 

The Janadesh Party Nepal has been formed under the coordination of advocate Raman Kumar Karna. Karna is the secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Karna informed that the party includes experienced professionals and activists, including Gen-G. He said that the party includes family members of those who were martyred in the Gen-G movement, those who were injured and youth who led the movement.

‘The new and young have joined the party,’ Karna said, ‘An industrial environment should be created in Nepal. Our slogan is to say Nepali now in Nepal.’ The party includes Jasmin Ojha, Biplabi Neupane, Yubaraj Thapa, and Indrajit Safi, who has been raising the issue of citizenship since Gen-G movement. Journalists Rishi Dhamala and his wife are also in this party. 

Dalit activist Khagendra Sunar’s party Nepal is in the process of registering. Most of the party’s office bearers and members are from the Dalit community. ‘Since caste oppression is our main issue, naturally people from the Dalit community have joined the party,’ Sunuwar said, ‘We are raising problems from the streets. The aim is to raise the issue of those who are neglected and oppressed by reaching the parliament.’ 

Former police chief Sarbendra Khanal has registered the Samunnat Nepal Party, Ganesh Kumar Mandal, who is active in the civil campaign, has registered the Savarbhoom Nagarik Party, and former MP Yogendra Mandal has registered the Rastriya Urjasheel Party. 

Among the newly formed parties is the Nagarik Seva Party led by women. Shreya KC, whose permanent address is Tulsipur Dang, is the party president. Former journalist KC says that the main objective of the party is to look after the national interest. She said that her party will show solidarity with anyone who works in the national interest. The 24-member central committee of the Nagarik Seva Party has a 50-50 ratio of women and men. Among the new parties, the Inclusive Socialist Party is led by Numa Limbu, a member of the gender and sexual minority community.