KATHMANDU: Preparations are underway for the election of 99 Central Committee members at the ongoing first general convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in Chitwan.

Among the 384 candidates competing for the Central Committee positions, nine are sitting ministers and more than 40 are members of the House of Representatives.

According to the candidate list for the Central Committee, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam, Minister for Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel, Minister for Health and Population Nisha Mehta, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, Minister for Agriculture, Livestock Development and Forests and Environment Gita Chaudhary, Minister for Youth, Labour and Employment Ramji Yadav, and Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security Sita Badi are in the electoral fray.

Out of the 17-member Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s nomination as the senior leader has already been confirmed. According to the RSP party statute, the Chairman holds the authority to nominate an individual who has made special contributions to the party as the senior leader. The RSP statute also grants the Chairman the authority to nominate more than one senior leader if necessary.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah and RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

As Rabi Lamichhane is the sole candidate for the post of Chairman, his election is guaranteed. After being formally declared Chairman, Lamichhane will nominate Shah as the senior leader.

Lawmakers in the fray

More than 40 members of the House of Representatives are competing to become RSP Central Committee members. In this competition, KP Khanal, Hari Dhakal, Indira Rana Magar, Manish Jha, Dr. Toshima Karki, Kabindra Burlakoti, Nisha Dangi, Bipin Kumar Acharya, Ganesh Parajuli, and Krantishikha Dhital have stepped forward. Similarly, Ganesh Dhimal, Madhu Kumar Chaulagain, Chandan Kumar Singh, Deepak Kumar Sah, Arvind Sah, Rahabar Ansari, and Khagendra Sunar are also vying for Central Committee positions.

Ganesh Karki, Harimohan Bhandari, Rukesh Ranjit, Rajib Khatri, Ramesh Prasai, Prakash Chandra Pariyar, Paras Mani Gelal, Samikshya Baskota, and Lima Adhikari are also visible in the electoral arena. Kusum Maharjan, Kamini Kumari Chaudhary, Tika Sangraula, Sulav Kharel, Bablu Gupta, Ashok Kumar Chaudhary, Narendra Kumar Gupta, Sagar Dhakal, and Pushpa Kumari Chaudhary are also competing for the Central Committee.

Representatives filling out the candidacy registration form for the post of central member. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

Furthermore, lawmakers including Deepak Raj Bohora, Rajkishor Mahato, Asha Jha, Devraj Pathak, Krishna Kumar Karki, Santosh Rajbanshi, Bishwaraj Pokharel, Prakash Pathak, Premlal Chaudhary, Shivshankar Yadav, Kamal Subedi, Jagadish Kharel (Dolkha), and Jagadish Kharel (Lalitpur) have announced their candidacies for the RSP Central Committee.

According to the RSP statute, the first phase will see elections for the Chairman and 99 Central Committee members. From among these 99 elected individuals, a subsequent election will be conducted to choose the office-bearers.

Since a candidate must first be elected as a Central Committee member to become an office-bearer, aspirants for positions such as Vice-Chairman, General Secretary, and Joint General Secretary are also competing for Central Committee membership.

For the position of Vice-Chairman, the names of Swarnim Wagle, Lima Adhikari, Sobita Gautam, and Samikshya Baskota are being widely discussed. According to the statute, out of the three Vice-Chairmen, one is to be nominated by the Chairman.

Participants checking the delegates’ list at the closed-session venue. Photo: Chandrakala Kshetri/RSS.

Similarly, for the position of General Secretary, the names of Kabindra Burlakoti, Deepak Kumar Acharya, Shisir Khanal, and Manish Jha are under discussion.

Dominance of men in the competition

Men dominate the pool of 384 candidates who have filed nominations for Central Committee membership. According to the candidate list published by the RSP, 304 men and 80 women are in the running. Based on this, men account for 79% of the total candidates.

According to the RSP statute, a one-third female representation is required in the Central Committee. For provincial representation, the RSP has allocated 35 seats from geographic clusters. A total of 174 individuals are competing for those seats. Among them, there are 18 candidates from Sudurpashchim Province, 31 each from Karnali and Lumbini, 27 each from Gandaki and Bagmati, and 20 each from Madhesh and Koshi.

Apart from that, 210 individuals are competing for national representation. Out of them, 64 Central Committee members will be elected. Under this, 32 will be chosen through national open competition and 32 will be selected through proportional inclusive competition.