New Parliamentarians, Including Young Engineer and Community Representatives, Receive Certificates After Proportional Representation Election

Ruby Kumari from Janakpurdham Metropolitan City-14, Dhanusha, started receiving marriage proposals at a young age. Relatives and villagers pressured her parents to marry off their daughter, who was still young. Despite her youth, Ruby had a rebellious nature. She had witnessed firsthand the suffering endured by girls who married early.

Moreover, seeing the condition of families victimized by the severe dowry system used to distress her. But society remains the same. As Ruby grew up, many such marriage proposals came. However, Ruby maintained her stance before her parents, saying, 'First, I will serve the nation, and only then will I marry.' After resisting many times, Ruby avoided child marriage. The 25-year-old, currently studying Civil Engineering, was recently elected as a Member of the House of Representatives under the proportional representation system.

She was elected from the Shram Sanskriti Party. After receiving the certificate of election from the Election Commission, she emotionally stated, 'I have to eradicate social evils like child marriage and the dowry system in the Madhesh region.' According to her, the custom in Madhesh is to marry off most daughters before they turn 16. Sons are forced to go abroad for labor while crying. Ruby's father has also been working as a laborer in Saudi Arabia for 10 years. Her first priority now is to bring her father back home. 'Who would want to go abroad if there were employment opportunities at home?' she said. 'If there were jobs in the country, my father wouldn't have had to go abroad. Many Nepalis like my father are abroad. I want to bring them back home.'

Raising a voice for creating youth employment within the country is another of her agendas. 

Rainbow Presence in Parliament

Among those who came to receive certificates under the proportional representation system were Ruby, the engineering student from Madhesh Province, along with former Miss Nepal Anushka Shrestha and actress Rima Bishwakarma. Faces of women from the marginalized Muslim community also appeared as parliamentarians. Samina Miyan from Chitwan, who came to receive her proportional representative member certificate with a scarf wrapped around her head and a baby tucked under her arm, said, 'Muslim women are shy by nature; I believe it is necessary to focus on education and health to bring them into the mainstream of society.'

Miyan, from Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1, is a founding member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). She, who is involved in the nursing profession, stated that political awareness is necessary for transformation, which is why she felt it was important to reach Parliament alongside her family and profession. 

Similarly, Bhimkumari Budhamagar, 50, from Dang, Ghorahi, who became a proportional representative member from the Communist Party of Nepal, had been politically active since the People's War era. This is her first time becoming a parliamentarian. While receiving the certificate dressed in traditional Magar attire, she stated that the same energy and enthusiasm she had in bringing about the republic remain intact. She said, 'There is a majority of youth; I trust they will do good work.'

Padmakumari Aryal, who became a Member of the House of Representatives under the proportional system from CPN-UML, stated that in Parliament, she would support the government's actions that favor the people and the nation, and oppose actions that are contrary. Prakash Chandra Darji (Pariyar), a proportional representative member from RSP, stated that RSP would fulfill its promise to apologize for the injustice done by the state to the Dalit community as declared in its manifesto. 

Ganesh Bishwakarma, a proportional MP from the Communist Party of Nepal who has long been agitating for Dalit issues, stated that his continuous effort would be in enacting laws for Dalit rights mentioned in the constitution. 

Sita Wadi, who became a proportional MP from RSP, represents the Waddi community in Parliament. 'The Waddi community has no shelter, nor food,' she said. 'I will convey the voice of the Waddi exactly as it is in Parliament and try to uplift their standard of living.'

The certificates were distributed today to the 110 members of parliament elected under the proportional representation system in the House of Representatives election held on Falgun 21, 2082 BS.

At the program organized at the Central Office in Bahadur Bhawan by the Election Commission, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ramprasad Bhandari and Commissioners Dr. Janakikumari Tuladhar and Sagunshamsher Jabara welcomed them with tika and flower garlands.