The fact that not a single woman is included in the list of 12 candidates is a mockery of our principles of democracy and inclusiveness. This approach is also a product of the narrow-minded thinking of the parties: Congress leader Sreekumari Roka
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Election activity has increased in Rolpa for the upcoming election of members of the House of Representatives to be held on Falgun 21. Parties are engaged in election-focused activities. However, with the registration of candidacies, a serious debate has begun in the district - is there no capable female leadership in Rolpa?
Not a single woman was nominated for the House of Representatives on Tuesday when 12 candidates filed their nominations. Stakeholders have accused political parties of flouting the 'inclusive democracy' envisioned by the Constitution of Nepal over this incident.
This time, 12 male candidates are contesting in Rolpa. According to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Gokul Prasad Gharti Magar of UML, Dr. Sudan Kumar Oli of Congress, Barshaman Pun of Nepali Communist Party and Chudamani Oli of CPN (Maoist) are the candidates. Similarly, Balaram Thapa of the National Independent Party, Mekh Bahadur Bista of the National Janamorcha, Ammar Bahadur Thapa of the RPP, Man Bahadur Gharti of the National Republic Nepal Party, Kumar Gharti Magar of the Mongol National Organization and Dil Bahadur Kami of the Aam Janata Party have also entered the fray. The names of Ash Bahadur Pun Magar and Dal Bahadur Khatri have also been registered in the list of independent candidates.
Established figures in Rolpa have strongly reacted to the zero participation of women. Congress leader Sreekumari Roka said that women fought for change just like men and they played a decisive role in the past as well. She accused women of being sidelined when they reach important levels. 'The fact that not a single woman is included in 12 candidates is a mockery of our principles of democracy and inclusiveness. This approach is also a product of the narrow-minded thinking of the parties,' she says.
Similarly, regarding the candidates sent by the parties, Mahesh Neupane, former president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Rolpa, commented that this issue is a form of bad practice in democracy. 'It is sad that women are prohibited from political change in the same district that taught the country a lesson of equality. This situation makes it clear how patriarchal our politics is still,' he said.
As soon as the details of the party's candidacy registration were made public, Rolpa youth and rights activists are criticizing the parties on social media platforms Facebook and TikTok. Most of them have questioned that only women's votes are needed, not leadership.
Nepal's constitution guarantees 33 percent female participation at every level of the state. However, under the pretext of finding a 'winning candidate' in direct elections, parties have been distrusting women's abilities. Since there is not a single woman among the 12 candidates in Rolpa, it has been found that there is no seriousness about the issue of inclusion within political parties. Moreover, in Rolpa, which is considered the birthplace of change, this election without women's participation is certain to yield only numerical results. However, a big question mark has been raised about the nature of ethics and inclusion.
