Jhapa-5 is in the news a lot as the election approaches. The constituency is being watched with special interest due to the candidacies of UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Balendra Shah.

A total of 24 candidates are in the fray in this constituency, out of which 9 have filed their candidacies as independent candidates. Ranjana Gautam is one of those independent candidates, who is currently reaching out to voters with the election symbol ‘Gas Stove’.

She has taken the gas stove not only as a symbol, but also as a symbol of energy and self-reliance. ‘Every home has gas in its kitchen. Gas is energy, and I have entered the fray with this energy,’ she says. Gautam, who has been running her own business, is campaigning at her own expense.

When asked why she became an independent candidate among big parties and powerful candidates, her answer is clear. According to her, the presence of women in politics is weak, so she wants to send a message of women empowerment by filing her candidacy as an independent candidate. ‘Women have not yet been able to take the lead. I hope that my representation will inspire other women to move forward,’ she said.

Gautam says that she has entered the field with the belief that she can heal the wounds of the backward, victimized and out-of-reach communities. Although there has been physical development in Jhapa, she feels that there is still a lot of work to be done in the areas of children and parents. She believes that there is still a lot to be done in agriculture, education and infrastructure development.

Although she could have become a candidate from a party, she has decided to stand as an independent, she says, "Do I need a party flag to carry an agenda? I have carried my own agenda." She seems confident that the objective of reaching the voters will be achieved regardless of the election results. She has embarked on the election campaign with the belief that women's voices must be raised and women must come forward.

Asha Tamang has also filed an independent candidacy from Kavrepalanchok-2. Out of 24 candidates in that constituency, 8 have filed independent candidacies. Tamang, who is studying in her third year of graduation, is a representative of the youth generation. She says that she has become an independent candidate against the inconsistency and continuous failure of the parties. She says that in the past elections, the parties made promises, but since there was no work and development, she filed her candidacy with the determination to do something. 

Tamang says that her experience of voting earlier, hoping but not getting results, inspired her to enter the electoral fray. Being financially weak, she does not have her own resources to contest the elections, but she says that she is campaigning with the help of her allies. “I do not have the money to contest the elections, I am taking this journey forward with the help of others,” she says. She emphasizes that youth and women should take the lead in politics now. She has entered the electoral contest with the symbol of ‘Sparrow Bird’. 

Although the parties have fielded very few female candidates directly in the House of Representatives elections, the number of women filing independent candidacies is significant. According to the Election Commission, out of a total of 3,406 candidates, 388 are women. Of these, 157 women have filed their candidacies as independent candidates.

There are also those filing independent candidacies in protest against the lack of opportunities for women in the elections. Some candidates are not even aware of their own candidacy. Sangita Shrestha, an independent candidate from Dolakha-1, says she is unaware of her candidacy. Stating that others came and registered her name, she said, “The election came, I was asked to register your name, I don’t know anything else.” She says that she is not very aware of the election process except for the five thousand rupees spent while registering her candidacy.

Shrestha has not been touched by the election hype. She says that she has come to Kathmandu for treatment and will have to stay here for about 15 days. She says that she does not even know what her election symbol is. Shrestha, a housewife, said that she has been voting for parties before.

Sociologist and writer Samjhana Wagle Bhattarai says that women are coming to independent candidacies because women’s access to Nepal’s political landscape is limited and women are not given opportunities in leadership and decision-making roles in political parties. According to her, women’s participation is low due to the practice of parties often nominating only well-known or famous faces as candidates. She says that this is the reason why women are attracted to independent candidacies.

She said, “Since social inclusion has not been adequately covered in democracy, women seem to be trying to make their voices heard through independent candidacies.” She said that independent candidacies have helped women present their issues and perspectives easily.

According to former administrator Sharada Prasad Trital, the trend of ‘dummy candidates’ seen in foreign countries has been increasing in Nepal in recent days. He says, “This trend has been around for a long time in countries like India. There, dummy candidates are used to confuse voters, impose spending limits, or as a pure election strategy.”

He says that this practice is used to field some candidates with prior preparation to influence voters and to facilitate vote distribution when necessary. Stating that the trend of dummy candidates is not good, he says, “This trend was less common in Nepal earlier, but it seems to be increasing in recent elections.” He said that this trend has also increased because the strictness of the election code of conduct makes it easier to use resources.

According to political analyst Chandra Kishore, although the constitution ensures inclusive representation, in practice, the number of independent candidates seems to have increased due to growing dissatisfaction with the lack of sufficient attention to inclusiveness. ‘Although the constitution aims to ensure the participation of all communities and classes, in practice, the weaker classes have not been able to get adequate representation,’ he said.