New faces dominate proportional representation candidates [with list]

The proportional list submitted by parties to the Election Commission for the upcoming House of Representatives elections has seen a dominance of new faces.

Not only the new parties but also the old ones have improved the selection of candidates towards proportional representation this time, so new faces have been included in the list. The parties have not had the opportunity to address the Gen-G movement, and have selected candidates by prioritizing new and youth representation.

There was a long tug-of-war in the selection of candidates within the major parties, Congress and UML. After internal tensions between leaders of various groups within the party, Congress selected the candidates only at midnight and submitted them to the Election Commission. A meeting was held at the Congress party central office in Sanepa to select candidates by sending a representative to the Election Commission during office hours. Dissatisfaction has increased within the UML, saying that the establishment and other parties have not been treated respectfully in the selection of candidates.

Congress did not repeat the proportional MPs since 2064

Congress has made radical improvements in the selection of proportional lists this time. No one who was a proportional MP in the 2064, 2070, 2074 and 2079 elections was able to run this time. The Congress has not included anyone who was an MP once through the proportional system in the proportional list. This criterion has deprived a large number of leaders at the central level who do not want to enter the parliament easily from the opportunity. Especially since most of the women leaders have already taken the proportional opportunity, they have to go to the electoral competition this time because they did not get that opportunity.

Min Bishwakarma, head of the publicity department of the Congress, says that the Congress made a leap by creating such a criterion after the Gen-G movement. Considering the growing negative attitude towards proportional MPs at the public level, the Congress had created a criterion that those who had once been proportional MPs could not be made, and that people's representatives holding any positions at the provincial and local levels and those in positions of profit such as receiving monthly salaries and allowances should not be included in the proportional list.

Especially since 2064, those who tried to make proportional representation candidates by exerting financial influence on leaders have been eliminated from the beginning this time. According to the head of the publicity department, Bishwakarma, the work of selecting names has been done by determining the representation quota based on the population of the provincial geography. He said that it has been ensured that 15 people under the age of 35 will be included in the list. Bishwakarma said that more than 5 percent of them are from Gen-G.

According to a leader of the Congress, although an attempt was made to select candidates by dividing the share of 60 percent for the establishment party and 40 percent for other parties, it lasted until midnight due to the tug-of-war between leaders in the sub-groups of both groups. The Congress had initially provided the number of groups to be represented at the provincial level to the Election Commission. Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa himself was seen as active in the selection of candidates. There was also a tug-of-war between Thapa and another leader Shekhar Koirala to make their own people candidates.

Even within the establishment party, there was a tug-of-war between acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka, former office bearers Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Bimalendra Nidhi, Shashank Koirala, Gopalman Shrestha, Vijay Kumar Gachhadar and Prakash Sharan Mahat to nominate their close associates. ‘Due to the tug-of-war between the leaders, there were games like cutting names that were decided in a moment, and putting people who were cut back again,’ said a Congress leader.

Joint General Secretary Bhishma Raj Angdembe is the only office bearer from the Congress to be on the proportional list. Angdembe, who had previously contested directly, is on the proportional list for the first time. His name is in the indigenous peoples’ ‘cluster’ from Koshi Province. Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC is also on the proportional list. He was also elected directly earlier. His name was recommended on the proportional list from Nuwakot.

Due to the criteria set by the Congress, this time most of the women leaders will have to contest the elections directly to enter the parliament. Congress leaders Sujata Koirala, Ambika Basnet, Mahalaxmi Upadhyay, Uma Regmi, Pushpa Bhusal, Dila Sangraula, Ishwori Neupane, Sarita Prasai, Pratima Gautam, Kiran Yadav, Arju Rana Deuba, Manju Khand and other leaders will now have to face each other directly. The women leaders who will be selected through the proportional representation are all new faces. ‘Those who have not had new faces, new thinking and opportunities will get an opportunity this time,’ said Bishwakarma.

Seat distribution based on provincial population

The Congress has allocated 110 seats in the proportional representation based on the provincial population by allocating quotas. According to which, 18 names have been sent from Koshi, 21 from Madhesh, 22 from Bagmati, 11 from Gandaki, 17 from Lumbini, 10 from Karnali and 10 from Sudurpaschim. ‘With this scientific and new criteria, the Congress has not allowed injustice in representation from all provinces and districts,’ said Bishwakarma.

According to the details submitted by the Congress to the Election Commission, 18 names have been sent from Koshi Province, including 9 from the indigenous people, 4 from the Khas Arya, 1 from the Tharu, 2 from the Dalit, 1 from the Madhesi and 1 from the Muslim. Similarly, 21 names have been sent from Madhesh Province, including 1 from the indigenous people, 1 from the Khas Arya, 1 from the Tharu, 3 from the Dalit, 12 from the Madhesi, and 2 from the Muslim. From Bagmati Province, 12 names have been sent from the indigenous people, 8 from the Khas Arya, 1 from the Dalit, and 1 from the Madhesi. There are zero seats for Tharu and Muslims in this province. Similarly, 11 names have been sent from Gandaki, including 5 from the indigenous people, 4 from the Khas Arya, and 2 from the Dalit. In Gandaki, the Tharu, Madhesi and Muslim quotas are zero.

In Lumbini, 17 people including 3 indigenous people, 5 Khas Aryas, 3 Tharu, 2 Dalits, 3 Madhesis, and 1 Muslim are included, and in Karnali, 10 people including 2 indigenous people, 6 Khas Aryas, and 2 Dalits are included. In Karnali, the quota of Madhesis, Muslims, and Tharu is not included. In Sudurpaschim, 10 people including 6 Khas Aryas, 2 Tharu, and 2 Dalits are included. There is no representation of indigenous people, Madhesis, and Muslims in Sudurpaschim. In the list submitted by the Congress, the Khas Aryas have the highest representation in the 110 proportional representation. In all seven provinces, 34 names are included from Khas Aryas. After that, 32 names of indigenous people, 7 of Tharu, 15 Dalits, 17 Madhesis, and 5 Muslims have been submitted to the Election Commission.

The UML list is not satisfied with the establishment parties

UML had adopted a policy of not repeating those who had got the opportunity in the proportional system in the previous general elections, except for exceptions. But this time too, senior leaders and those who had already got the opportunity have been repeated in the proportional system. Although the party had instructed not to recommend people who had previously been in the proportional system while recommending candidates from districts and provinces, Chairman KP Sharma Oli ignored it and made the final list.

UML's second-ranked Vice President Ram Bahadur Thapa is at number one from the indigenous/tribal 'cluster'. Similarly, the names of leaders including Guru Baral, Central Office Chief Secretary Pushpa Kandel have been included in Khas Arya. Secretary Padma Aryal has been named at number one from the women's 'cluster'. The names of Women's Association President Tuka Hamal, former Youth Association President Nirudevi Pal, singer Komal Wali, former Chief Whip Shanta Chaudhary, and cultural activist Bhumika Subba have been included.

Gorakh Bogati, Lal Bahadur Mahatara, Lal Bahadur Rawal and eight others have been included from the backward areas. Meena Baram, Mankumari Titung, Mayadevi Podeni, Nirmal Daula and others have been included from the Dalit 'cluster'. Sant Bahadur Chepang, Ichcha Chaudhary and others have been included from the tribal areas. UML Secretary Rajan Bhattarai said that the proportional candidates have been selected in a way that is experienced, well-established in leadership and represents the feelings of the youth. 'The list has been decided by including all clusters including the youth,' he said.

Selection of those who are not ministers, MPs and have not had opportunities in the NCP

The NCP has decided the proportional candidates by including 17 constituents who have come together. 110 people have been selected from 1,800 candidates recommended by the district. It has been stated that earlier, candidates who are not ministers, MPs and have not had opportunities, experts and youth were selected according to the proportional 'cluster'. The NCP has also made the proportional list keeping in mind the feelings of the parties that have come together.

CPN leader Barshaman Pun said that while making proportional candidates, experts, youth, martyrs' families, minorities and youth were included. 'Our party has given priority to making people who were not ministers, federal and provincial MPs as proportional candidates,' he said, 'We have also included entrepreneurs from various sectors, experts, youth and minorities.'

CPN's proportional candidates include rights activist Mitra Pariyar, former ambassador Pramesh Kumar Hamal, indigenous/tribal experts Parashuram Tamang, Jog Kumar Barbaria, Bishnu Khanal, former student president Pancha Singh, Mangal Singh Praja from the Chepang community, former combatant commander Kamala Naharki, leaders from the CPN Chet Bahadur (Chiran) Pun, Parbati BK, Mahendra Bahadur Karki, and others.

Binod Katuwal and Vidya Bhat, who lost their parents during the armed conflict, have also been included in the proportional list. The NCP has stated that the chairperson of the Civil Liberation Party, Ranjita Shrestha, who came together on Monday, will be included in the amendment process. 'We have finally finalized the name by forming a task force after taking suggestions from the provinces from the districts and constituencies,' said leader Pun. 'We have prepared the list based on recommendations from the ethnic fronts, the people's class, the professional, the departments and commissions, and the migrant organizations.'

Internal elections for ethnic groups and Khas Arya in RPP

The RPP has held internal elections for proportional candidates for ethnic groups and Khas Arya. According to RPP spokesperson Mohan Shrestha, Toran Gurung has been made proportional candidate for the ethnic group male, General Secretary Rajendra Gurung, Mohan Shrestha, Bharat Giri, Pushparaj Purush and Dharmaraj Joshi for the Khas Arya male.

The names of Khusbu Oli and Swati Thapa have been made proportional candidates for the Khas Arya female. Similarly, the names of Devu Parajuli, Saraswati Lama from Janajati women, Vijayakala Rai, Saraswati Thing, Pralhad Sah from Madhesh, Giridhari Prasad Chaudhary from Tharu, Nirupama Yadav from Madhesh women, Amar Arya from Dalit have been included. 'We have finalized 110 candidates from all 'clusters,'' said spokesperson Shrestha.

The Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN (Maoist), which is participating in the election for the first time, has also submitted its proportional list. CPN (Maoist) leader Santosh Budhamagar said that it has given priority to leaders of lower committees than the permanent ones. "We have made proportional candidates, one from each district," he said. "The proportional list includes Bheshraj Bhusal, party women's president Bandhu Chand, Rangnath Dhakal, Prem Bahadur Maharjan, Ratna Bhakta Maharjan, and others."

Candidate expenditure limit is 25 to 33 lakhs according to the constituency. The Election Commission has set the expenditure limit for candidates in the House of Representatives elections from 25 lakhs to 33 lakhs according to the geographical location and population. The commission has set the expenditure limit for candidates from 25 lakhs to 33 lakhs according to the constituency. Within the Kathmandu Valley, the expenditure limit is 25 lakhs for constituencies 1, 3, 6, 7 and 8. Similarly, 27 lakhs has been set for constituencies 2, 4, 5, 9 and 10 in Kathmandu. Candidates from Lalitpur and Bhaktapur will also be allowed to spend up to 27 lakhs. In the Terai districts, limits of 27, 29 and 31 lakhs have been set depending on the constituency. The maximum expenditure limit for 26 different constituencies in the hilly and mountainous districts has been set at 33 lakhs.

— UML's 59 proportional candidates (partial list received)

Ram Bahadur Thapa