83 days to polls: Panel to set inclusion quotas

The Election Commission (EC) has started working on fixing the proportional representation percentages for different population groups, as required by the House of Representatives Election Constituency Act, 2074.

These percentages will be decided for Dalit, Indigenous Nationalities, Khas Arya, Madhesi, Tharu, and Muslim communities. For this task, a six-member committee has been formed, led by Subhash Kumar Bhattarai, a Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

The committee also includes members from the Election Commission, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, and the National Statistics Office. It has been given three days to determine the inclusive base percentage using national census data and submit its report, according to EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai. The Commission will finalize the percentages based on the 2078 National Census.

A high-level meeting was also held, chaired by Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari, Chief Secretary Suman Raj Aryal, Election Commissioner Dr. Janaki Tuladhar, Home Secretary Rameshwor Dangal, Chief Statistics Officer Madhusudan Burlakoti, and other senior officials attended, Bhattarai said.