According to the 12th General Convention Election Committee, the number of women obtaining active membership of the party stands at over 51,000. This is about 17 percent of the total of 313,000 active members in the party. [break]
“This is encouraging,” said Ambika Basnet, chairperson of Nepal Women´s Association (NWA), a sister organization of the NC. “This overwhelming response of women to the party is likely to place more women at the party´s decision-making level.”
NC had a total active membership of 185,000 during its 11th General Convention held five years ago. Of them, women members numbered 27,000 plus -- some 15 percent of total active members.
Basnet said they have been demanding at least 33 percent of berths within all structures of the party since the party´s Mahasamiti meeting last year. “The party leadership is positive about our demand,” she said.
In a bid to make the party more inclusive, the NC statute was amended at that Mahasamiti meeting held in Kathmandu and there are to be a total of 85 members in the Central Working Committee (CWC).
Of the 65 elected members, the statute has reserved at least 12 seats for women, five for dalits, five for indigenous communities, five for Madhesis and two for Muslims. There will also be nominations to the CWC from these marginalized groups.
NC election committee officials believe that the number of women could have increased as the party´s statute has made it mandatory to elect at least two representatives from each election constituency for taking part in the general convention. There is a similar provision for the party´s village and municipal level conventions.
Moreover, the NC had not been able to reach each and every village during the last general convention as the Maoist insurgency was at its peak and NC cadres were their prime target. “This year we have been able to reach every village even in far flung districts, to hold our village level conventions,” said election committee chief Radheshyam Adhikari.
NC has often been criticized as a party with little space for women at the decision-making level. This is substantiated by the fact that there are now just seven women in the party´s 71-member CWC.
NC women leaders are optimistic that the representation of women in the CWC will increase significantly after the party´s 12th general convention scheduled for August 26-30. “The CWC can see more women representation as women candidates can seek election through open competition also,” said NWA General Secretary Pushpa Bhusal.
Bhusal said that if women members already in the CWC now chose to seek open competition, election to the reservation category will be open to other women candidates.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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