KATHMANDU: Dalits make up nearly 13 percent of Nepal’s total population. However, data show that both old and new political parties have once again treated demographic representation as a secondary concern while selecting candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.
As in previous elections, political parties have shown reluctance to ensure inclusive representation in direct elections, particularly of women, people from backward regions, and Dalits. This trend is not limited to any single party but is evident across the political spectrum, including those that entered the electoral race with slogans of change, social justice, and equal opportunity.
Ironically, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), rose to power through a decade-long armed struggle championing inclusion. Yet, the newly formed NCP, established in the name of left unity, has fielded only two Dalit candidates under the first-past-the-post system for the House of Representatives election.
These candidates are Man Bahadur Sunar from Kanchanpur-3 and Padam Bishwakarma from Syangja-2. In the 2022 election, Nepali Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak won Kanchanpur-3 with 30,575 votes, while Congress leader Dhanraj Gurung secured victory in Syangja-2 with 31,466 votes. Based on past voting patterns, it appears difficult for the NCP to secure victories in these constituencies this time.
In the Nepali Congress, the country’s largest party that has long positioned itself as a champion of change and democracy, Dalits constitute 5.18 percent of its active membership. However, when it came to selecting direct election candidates, that representation dropped to nearly zero.
Out of 165 constituencies nationwide, the Congress has fielded only one Dalit candidate. Prakash Rasaili ‘Snehi,’ a central deputy-general secretary, is the party’s sole Dalit candidate contesting directly from Bajhang. In the previous election, Bhanu Bhakta Joshi of the then CPN (Unified Socialist) won Bajhang with 28,413 votes, supported by both the Congress and the Maoist Centre. UML candidate Ain Bahadur Mahara had secured 27,412 votes. As the UML has once again nominated Mahara, the contest in Bajhang is expected to remain highly competitive.
Similarly, the CPN-UML, the country’s second-largest party, has nominated only two Dalit candidates for the upcoming election. The UML has fielded Chakra Snehi from Dadeldhura, the home district of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. In the 2022 election, Deuba won the constituency with 25,534 votes, while independent candidate Sagar Dhakal came second with 13,042 votes. The UML had not fielded a candidate in that election.
The other Dalit candidate from the UML is Bimala B.K. contesting from Bardiya-2. In the last election, independent candidate Lalbir Chaudhary won the seat with 26,520 votes, followed closely by Maoist candidate Suresh Panth with 26,384 votes. UML candidate Pankaj Singh Rathore finished third with 16,090 votes.
New political forces that emerged claiming to represent voters frustrated with traditional parties have also shown a similar lack of inclusion. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has nominated only one Dalit candidate, Khagendra Sunar, from Banke-3.
Sunar had earlier entered politics by registering a party called ‘Hamro Party Nepal’ with the Election Commission and joined the RSP only recently. In the 2022 election, Nepali Congress candidate Kishor Singh Rathore won Banke-3 with 29,097 votes. UML candidate Kismat Kumar Kshetrapati secured 24,305 votes, while the RSP’s Devendra Nath Shukla received 7,467 votes.
When all these figures are viewed together, a clear picture emerges: there is a wide gap between the Dalit population and their political representation. Inclusion remains confined to party manifestos and speeches, not reflected in decision-making.
When parliament fails to reflect the true composition of society, the claim of democracy weakens. This election’s candidate list has once again become a mirror of that weakened democracy.
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