KATHMANDU, March 7: As vote counting continues for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections 2026, five women candidates have emerged victorious so far, signalling a growing presence of women in Nepal’s political landscape.
Four of the winners belong to the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which has so far secured the highest number of seats and is leading in several constituencies, while the fifth is from the Nepali Congress (NC). Among the RSP winners are Ranju Neupane ‘Darshana’ from Kathmandu-1, who secured 15,455 votes; Rubina Acharya from Morang-6 with 55,513 votes; Bina Gurung from Kaski-3, who received 37,750 votes; and Komal Gyawali from Kailali-1, with 17,826 votes. The NC’s Basana Thana emerged victorious from Dailekh-1 with 12,372 votes.
UML Karnali Convention: Vandalism outside vote counting station
Beyond those already declared winners, several women candidates are currently leading in their constituencies. These include Sobita Gautam in Chitwan-3, Dr Toshima Karki in Lalitpur-3, Indira Rana Magar in Jhapa-2, Nisha Dangi in Jhapa-1, Nitima Bhandari in Sarlahi-1, Ashika Tamang in Dhading-1, Pushpa Kumari Chaudhary in Saptari-1, and Gauri Kumari in Mahottari-4, all representing the RSP.
According to the Election Commission, final results have been declared for 45 constituencies, while vote counting continues for 118 constituencies. The snap HoR elections, held on March 5, were conducted for 165 direct seats and 110 proportional representation seats.
With the early trends indicating strong performance by women candidates, political observers say the elections may mark a step toward greater gender representation in Nepal’s legislature, while the RSP continues to consolidate its lead in the country.
