KATHMANDU: Kathmandu, historically a stronghold of Newar culture, has seen increasing diversity in recent years due to migration. The Newar community continues to hold social and political significance in the capital.
However, ahead of the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5, analysis of candidates’ ethnic backgrounds shows relatively low representation of Newars.
In Kathmandu’s 10 constituencies, the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) fields the highest number of Newar candidates with five. The Nepali Congress and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) have only one Newar candidate each, while the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) has four. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) does not field any candidate from the community.
In constituencies 1 to 5, none of the main five parties have nominated Newar candidates. These areas are dominated by Brahmin and Chhetri candidates.
In Kathmandu 6, UML has nominated Amankumar Maskey as the Newar representative, while Congress, NCP, RSP, and RPP have fielded candidates from other ethnic groups. Kathmandu 7 sees Newar representation from both UML (Prakash Shrestha) and NCP (Basant Prasad Manandhar), while Congress, RSP, and RPP have non-Newar candidates.
Kathmandu 8 features Newar candidates from UML (Rajesh Shakya), Congress (Sapana Rajbhandari), NCP (Suman Sayami), and RSP(Birajbhakta Shrestha), though RPP has fielded a non-Newar candidate, Naveen Shahi.
In Kathmandu 9, only UML (Ajaykranti Shakya) and NCP (Radhakrishna Maharjan) have nominated Newar candidates. Congress, RSP, and RPP have no Newar representation in this constituency.
Similarly, Kathmandu 10 features Newar candidates from UML (Vinod Shrestha) and NCP (Rupa Maharjan), while Nepali Congress, RSP, and RPP field candidates from other communities.
The analysis indicates that despite their historical significance, the Newar community remains underrepresented in Kathmandu’s electoral candidate lists, raising questions about inclusivity and community representation in the upcoming elections.
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