KATHMANDU: Khabarhub brings you a glimpse of major developments of the day in Nepal, including politics, business/economy, sports, entertainment, and more.
Nepal’s top parties continue to field few women candidates, perpetuating gender imbalance
As Nepal heads toward the March 5 House of Representatives election, the number of female candidates remains strikingly low, highlighting persistent gender imbalance and tokenism in major parties. Out of 3,486 candidates registered for the 165 direct seats, only 11.35% are women. Established parties have fielded very few women in direct elections: the Nepali Congress has nominated only 11 women, CPN-UML 10 and the Nepali Communist Party 12. Even newer parties like the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), have followed a similar trend. In some cases, parties with strong male-dominated leadership have restricted women largely to proportional representation lists, leaving direct constituencies overwhelmingly male.
Resham Lal Chaudhary’s candidacy rejected for Kailali-1 polls
The candidacy of Resham Lal Chaudhary, candidate of the Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal from Kailali-1, has been rejected by the Election Commission. Chaudhary, who has already served a prison sentence after being convicted in a culpable homicide case, was disqualified on Thursday, the District Election Officer’s office said in a statement. Chaudhary was the main accused in the Tikapur incident in Kailali, where clashes between Tharuhat supporters and police on September 7, 2015, left eight people dead, including Senior Superintendent of Police Laxman Neupane, five Nepal Police personnel, two Armed Police Force members, and an infant. The Supreme Court had convicted Chaudhary as the chief planner of the incident.
NC General Secretary Ghimire says party’s regular general convention won’t be held in May
Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire has said the party’s regular general convention cannot be held in May. Speaking to journalists in Biratnagar on Thursday, Ghimire cited the upcoming March 5 election and subsequent political activities as reasons for the delay. He said preparations are underway to hold the regular general convention by the end of January 2027. Ghimire claimed that following the special general convention, the party would move forward united in elections and release a long-term-focused manifesto.
Western disturbance to bring rain, snowfall across western Nepal
A western weather system is expected to cause cloudy skies and precipitation in parts of Nepal from Friday afternoon, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM). Meteorologist Devit Dhakal said clouds will begin forming over western Nepal from Friday afternoon, with light rain starting in some areas of Sudurpaschim Province. By Friday night, moderate snowfall is likely in high-altitude and mountainous regions across the country. The western system is expected to bring moderate rainfall with thunder in parts of Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces, and scattered rain with thunder in some areas of Gandaki Province. There is also a possibility of hail in one or two locations in Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces.
Road accidents rising by 5.4 percent annually, experts warn of public health crisis
Roads in Nepal are becoming increasingly unsafe, with recent data showing that road accidents are rising by an average of 5.4 percent every year, posing a serious public health challenge. Experts raised concerns over the growing trend during an interaction program on road safety organized by the Ministry of Health and Population. Speaking at the event, Health Minister Dr Sudha Sharma described road accidents as one of the country’s major public health problems, noting that Gen-Z youths are among the most affected. She stressed the need for effective coordination among government agencies and greater public awareness to reduce accidents.
Youth leader rejoins UML within 24 hours after joining Balen Shah’s team
A young leader who briefly left the CPN-UML to join Balen Shah’s team has returned to the party within 24 hours. Kamal Gaire, former secretary of the National Youth Federation Nepal, Damak Municipality Committee, had initially stepped aside from his post to support Balen Shah but announced his return to UML shortly after. Gaire shared a photo with UML Chair KP Sharma Oli on social media to confirm his comeback. In his post, he stated, “I have been an active and organized member of UML since my student days, serving in the party’s student wing ANNFSU and later as a member, deputy secretary, and secretary of the National Youth Federation Nepal, Damak Committee. I have always participated sincerely in various party activities.”
Jhapa 5 has highest voter count ahead of Balen-Oli battle
Among Jhapa district’s five constituencies, Constituency 5, where the high-profile contest between Balen Shah and KP Sharma Oli is taking place, has the highest number of registered voters, the District Election Office has said. With 50,000 new voters added this year, Jhapa now has a total of 713,537 registered voters. Tulsi Nepal, chief of the district election office, said Constituency 5 alone has 81,081 male voters, 82,296 female voters, and two others, totaling 163,379. The constituency has 61 polling locations and 185 polling centers.
Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal appointed government spokesperson
The Cabinet on Thursday appointed Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal as the government spokesperson. The post became vacant after former Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel resigned to contest the House of Representatives election. Kharel has filed his candidacy from Lalitpur-2, representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).
SC Justice Dhakal refuses to hear writ against AGO decision on Rabi Lamichhane cases
Supreme Court Justice Balkrishna Dhakal has refused to hear a writ challenging the Office of the Attorney General’s decision to withdraw the money laundering and cooperative fraud cases against Rastriya Swatantra Party chair Rabi Lamichhane. Earlier, Justice Dhakal had ordered that Lamichhane not be released on bail in the cooperative fraud and organized crime cases. Citing the potential for controversy, he informed the petitioner that he would not hear the writ. Following this decision, the next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for January 25. The Attorney General’s Office had decided to withdraw the property laundering and organized crime cases linked to Lamichhane.
Govt extends tenure of commission probing Gen-Z movement incidents by 20 days
The government has decided to extend the tenure of the commission investigating incidents related to the Gen-Z movement by 20 days. The Cabinet meeting held on Thursday approved the extension for the commission headed by former Chief Justice Gauri Bahadur Karki, government spokesperson and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal informed. This marks the second time the commission’s tenure has been extended. Earlier, the Cabinet had extended it by one month during its meeting on December 18, 2025.
Balen Shah campaigns in Phidim
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) senior leader Balen Shah has reached Phidim Bazaar in Panchthar as part of the party’s election campaign. Shah met local voters and sought votes in favor of the party’s candidates during his visit. He interacted with residents and urged them to support RSP in the upcoming elections.
RPP accuses state of pressuring Jhapa-2 candidate Swagat Nepal after cyber bureau summons
The Nepal Police Cyber Bureau has summoned Swagat Nepal, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) candidate from Jhapa constituency No. 2, the party has said. RPP spokesperson Mohan Kumar Shrestha accused the state machinery of attempting to pressure the party’s Jhapa-2 candidate under the pretext of past statements. He said Nepal, an advocate by profession, was being targeted to discourage him during the election campaign. Shrestha said Swagat Nepal was not alone and recalled the party’s political history, noting that late senior leader Deepak Bohora had once defeated the sitting home minister in an election despite being unwell and without delivering campaign speeches.
Three central leaders resign from Kulman Ghising-led Ujyalo Nepal Party
The Ujyalo Nepal Party, led by Kulman Ghising, has suffered a setback as three of its central leaders have resigned from the party, even giving up their ordinary membership, the leaders announced on Wednesday. The leaders who left include identity politics activist Dakendra Singh Thegim, Gyan Bahadur Gurung, and Amar Ijam. Thegim is also listed as the party’s proportional representation candidate. In a statement, the trio cited weak internal democracy, lack of clarity in party ideology, methods, and procedures, and the absence of a written agenda on identity-related issues as reasons for their departure. They said they will now work independently to strengthen the Joint Identity Front.
Viral video of Balen pushing supporters during nomination real, not AI-generated: Fact-check
A video showing Balen Shah apparently pushing supporters while registering his candidacy in Jhapa-5 went viral on Tuesday, with some social media users claiming it was AI-generated. Clips shared on Threads, Facebook, X, and other platforms sparked debate, with some alleging that Balen had shoved a man in a red sweater or even punched a supporter. An investigation by the Nepali Technology news portal TechPana, however, confirmed that the footage is real. Videos captured from different angles by Facebook pages ‘Sunaulo Nepal’, ‘Madani Beat’, and ‘Mero Suchana’ showed the same incident. Analysis using AI detection tools, including Hive Moderation, verified that the clips were not digitally manipulated.
Comment