The Nepalese constitution has a provision that requires 33 percent women representation in the Parliament. However, political parties could not fulfill this provision so far. This time 14 women candidates have won the Parliamentary election, 13 from Rastriya Swatantra Party and one from Nepali Congress.
During the previous parliamentary election held in 2022, only 9 women candidates were elected to the House of Representatives. The largest number of 30 women Parliamentarians were elected in the first constituent assembly election held in 2008 with the CPN-Maoist emerging as the largest party, soon after they joined mainstream politics through the peace process the ended a decade long armed insurgency. Most of the women Parliamentarians who got elected were Maoist guerillas at that time.
The women Parliamentarians elected in 2026 include Nisha Dangi, 29, Indira Ranamagar, 55, Asha Jha, 42, Rubina Acharya, 31, Pushpa Kumari Chaudhari, 36, Gauri Kumari, 54, Nitima Bhandari, 43, Ashika Tamang, 37, Ranju Neupane, 30, Toshima Karki, 36, Sobita Gautam, 30, Bina Gurung, 53 and Komal Gyawali, 47 from RSP and Vasana Thapa, 45 from Nepali Congress. This time the women are heading towards 8.48 percent representation. During the previous election, it was just 5.45.
Former Deputy Speaker Indira Ranamagar of RSP defeated Dev Raj Ghimire, speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives from CPN-UML with a huge margin of 48,742 votes. She casted 60,110 votes against 11,368 caste by Ghimire. Rubina Acharya of RSP defeated senior leader of Nepali Congress Shekhar Koirala by a huge margin. She received 55,513 votes against Koirala’s 12,850 votes.
Similarly, Sobita Gautam of RSP defeated Prachanda’s daughter and NCP candidate Renu Dahal with a huge margin by securing 59,277 votes. Renu was also the mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, who resigned the post recently to contest Parliamentary election. She received just 20,615 votes.
