KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has nominated just 16 women candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives election, raising concerns over its commitment to constitutional provisions on women’s representation.
Nomination details show that RSP has fielded 148 male candidates and only 16 female candidates, meaning women account for just 9.75 percent of the party’s direct-election contenders. This is significantly below the 33 percent women’s representation guaranteed by the Constitution.
The data highlight a persistent gap between constitutional commitments and political practice, particularly in direct elections, where parties continue to prioritize male candidates.
Across the country’s 165 constituencies, thousands of candidates have entered the race, but women remain heavily underrepresented, especially among party-backed nominees.
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