KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) elected 49 of its 80 female candidates to the party’s 99-member central committee in the first phase of its leadership election, resulting in women holding nearly 50 percent of the elected seats.

A total of 384 candidates contested the election, with 174 competing under the geography cluster and 210 under the national cluster.

The remaining 50 central committee members will be nominated by party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane, a process expected to further increase women’s representation.