The National Independent Party (NISP), which has emerged with the slogan of alternative politics and has been criticizing the traditional style of old political parties, has completed its first district convention in 62 districts by Tuesday evening. However, the initial results of the convention show that the party is weak in inclusive political behavior. Analyzing the results of the 62 public districts, the post of district president, which is considered the chief executive, is dominated by Khas-Arya (Bahun-Chhetri) men, while the presence of indigenous, tribal, women, Dalit and marginalized communities is very weak.

According to the election statute of the NISP, there is a provision for the district office bearers to have a president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary and treasurer. There is a provision for the treasurer to be selected by the district working committee from among the elected members. Similarly, 5 people are elected from open members by forming an inclusive cluster. Apart from that, there is a provision for the president of each constituency to be elected based on the number of ex-officio district members and other members. The statute has made provision for inclusion only in members, leaving office bearers. The statute has a provision that women, Dalits and the majority ethnic community/cluster of the district concerned should be elected as inclusive members.

However, the number of women, Dalits and indigenous people among the office bearers in the districts where the convention was held is very low. Only 2 women and 1 person from the Dalit community have been elected as presidents in the 62 districts where the convention was held. Sita Parajuli in Arghakhanchi of Lumbini Province, Shanta Budha Chhetri in Bardiya District and Prakash Nepali from Dalit in Salyan District of Karnali Province have been elected.

10 district presidents have been elected from indigenous people. 49 district presidents have been elected from Brahmin and Chhetri communities. District committees have been elected through elections in most districts. In more than 75 percent of the districts, office bearers and members in other districts were also elected through elections. A unanimous leadership has been elected in one and a half dozen districts.

Lumbini Province Vice President of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Shalikram Ghimire said that even though quotas have been fixed for Dalits, indigenous peoples and women in the constitution, many of the leaders who came to the current convention were elected from Brahmin Chhetris. According to him, this is the first convention at the district level, the work of building an organization is more challenging, and since they cannot immediately play a leadership role, Dalits, women or other communities may not have sought to come to the leadership.

‘In Lumbini Province, women have come to the leadership in Arghakhanchi and Bardiya,’ he said. ‘Although there is provision in the constitution, they may not have come because they did not think that they could lead in other districts.’ He said that Sita Parajuli in Arghakhanchi and Shanta Budha Chhetri in Bardiya of Lumbini Province were elected through elections.

Gunaram Ghimire, a member of the Rupandehi District Convention Election Committee, said that although the number of inclusive communities was high among the representatives selected as representatives at the convention, the number of candidates was low. 

He had previously worked as a coordinator in the committee formed in the district. He said that since it is the appropriate method to come out strong in the competition, many people from other communities may have been selected in this time's district conventions.

Similarly, according to the party's Central Election Commission and Organization Department, the convention has been postponed to a later date in 5 districts, Dolpa, Humla, Rukum East, Manang and Mustang, as the minimum standards as per the statute have not been met.

The convention has been postponed for the time being due to a dispute during the leadership selection in Sindhupalchowk district, while the process has also been halted due to complaints in Baglung.

All activities related to the convention in 8 districts of Madhesh Province have been postponed until further notice. Bhuwan KC, the head of the RSP Central Election Commission, issued a statement on Tuesday and informed that the entire convention process has been postponed for the time being.

On the eve of the first historic national convention scheduled to be held in Ashar, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been claiming that it has initiated internal democratic exercises by holding ward, district and provincial conventions to strengthen its organizational foundation.

Where is the president?

Koshi Province

Jhapa — Om Bhandari

Morang — Bharat Kandel

Sunsari — Sagar Dahal

Ilam — Dinesh Mahat

Dhankuta — Bhuvan Thapa

Panchthar — Prakash Gurung

Taplejung — Rajan Kumar Gurung

Tehrathum — Suman Khatri

Bhojpur — Khyam Bahadur Bhujel

Sankhuwasabha — Bhaktanarayan Shrestha

Okhaldhunga — Krishna Bahadur Thapa

Khotang — Mukunda Krishna Thapa

Solukhumbu — Narayan Kaji Karki

Udayapur — Chitra Kumar Karki

Bagmati Pradesh

Kathmandu — Raja Shakya

Bhaktapur — Rameshwar Basnet

Lalitpur — Buddha Ratna Mahajan

Chitwan — Mini Madhav Khanal

Kavreplanchok — Praveen Dhakal

Nuwakot — Rameshwar Gajurel

Dhading — Rajan Aryal

Makwanpur — Sanjeev Pathak

Dolakha — Dinesh Basnet

Ramechhap — Ramesh Kumar Rayamazhi

Sindhuli — Avinash Basnet

Rasuwa — Vasant Bhatt

Gandaki Pradesh

Kaski — Yadunath Adhikari

Syangja — Biswas Bhandari

Parbat — Jal Bahadur Purja

Myagdi — Yuvraj Roka

Baglung — Poonam Sharma

Gorkha — Suvarna Rokaha Chhetri

Tanahun — Ashok Bastola

Lamjung — Sapkota

Nawalparasi East - Doman Bhandari

Lumbini Pradesh

Rupandehi — Mahendra Prasad Upadhyay

Kapilvastu — Shiv Kumar Subedi

Dang — Kiran Khanal

Palpa — Bishnu Prasad Bhandari

Gulmi — Hari Shrestha

Arghakhanchi — Sita Parajuli

Navalparasi (Bardghat Susta West) — Ravi Pandey

Banke — Vivek Kumar Shrestha

Bardia — Shanta Budha Chhetri

Rolpa — Balram Thapa

Pyuthan — Vikas Pokharel

Karnali Pradesh

Surkhet — Ramesh Kumar Sapkota

Salyan — Prakash Nepali

Calicut — Prem KC

Dailekh — Bakhat Bahadur Bhandari