The Nepali Congress has officially finalized its 20 proportional representation (PR) members of parliament, heavily weighting the selection toward female candidates to satisfy strict constitutional gender mandates. The decision was formalized during a Central Execution Committee meeting held at the party’s headquarters in Sanepa on Sunday.
To fulfill the constitutional requirement that women must comprise at least one-third of the total federal legislature—which factors in the National Assembly makeup—the party was obligated to allocate 15 of its 20 available PR slots to female candidates, according to party Spokesperson Devraj Chalise. He emphasized that the selections were made strictly from the previously submitted closed list of candidates.
The demographic distribution of the finalized roster ensures broad inclusivity across various social groups. Chalise detailed that six representatives were chosen from the Indigenous Nationalities (Adivasi Janajati) cluster, alongside another six from the Khas-Arya community. The remaining seats have been distributed to adequately represent Tharu, Dalit, Madhesi, Muslim, and backward region categories.
The party is scheduled to submit this finalized list to the Election Commission later on Sunday. The official names of the incoming lawmakers will be made public only after the electoral body verifies the roster against the original closed list. Looking ahead, the Nepali Congress plans to convene a Central Working Committee meeting in the coming days to comprehensively review its performance in the recent elections.
