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Dalit community has witnessed a meager number of candidates in the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5. 

Nepali Congress (NC) has fielded its assistant general secretary Prakash Rasaili Snehi as a candidate of Dalit community from Bajhang. 

CPN-UML has presented Chakra Snehi from Dadeldhura and Bimala Biki from Bardiya-2.

Likewise, Nepali Communist Party has given tickets only to Padam Biswokarma from Syangja-2 and Man Bahadur Sunar from Kanchanpur-3. 

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has nominated Khagendra Sunar from Banke-3. 

Padam Sundas, a leader of the Dalit movement and former ambassador, has noted that the major political parties have always treated the Dalit community as a vote bank but have consistently deprived them of political opportunities. 

He commented, “The contribution of Dalit leaders within the party is equal to that of other communities, but they do not get tickets during elections. Discrimination is being practiced while allotting tickets though Dalit holds 13 percent of total population". 

Bindu Pariyar, President of the Association for Dalit Women's Advancement of Nepal (ADWAN), opined that the democratic legacy party NC, which has repeatedly fought for change, and Nepali Communist Party and UML, which claim to struggle for the rights of marginalized, have proven to be insensitive towards Dalits. 

She noted that by not directly giving tickets to the Dalit community, their representation in Parliament is seen as meager. 

Just like the constitutional provision requiring 33 percent women in Parliament, there should also be a mandatory provision for Dalits, she argued. 

In the House of Representatives of 2022, there were 15 Dalit representatives (5.81 percent) while in the 2008 Constituent Assembly, 50 Dalits (8.32 percent) were present. 

There were 40 Dalits (6.65 percent) in the 2010 Constituent Assembly, and 20 Dalits (7.27 percent) in the House of Representatives of 2018. 

Looking at these numbers, the representation of Dalits in Parliament is seen to be decreasing consecutively. 

Out of 59 members of the National Assembly, only eight are Dalits. 

Although Article 42(1) of the Constitution has stated that socially disadvantaged individuals shall have the right to participate in state agencies based on the principle of inclusiveness, its practical implementation has not been achieved. 

Spain is urging the EU to move towards creating a joint army for the bloc as a deterrence measure, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in comments to Reuters on Wednesday ahead of a day of meetings in Davos, Reuters reported. 

The region should focus first on bringing together its tangible assets to properly integrate its defence industry, and then mobilising a coalition of the willing, the foreign minister said.

The concern over whether European citizens would be willing to assemble militarily is a “legitimate debate”, but the chance of assembling a critical mass was higher as a bloc than on a national level, Albares said, adding: “A joint effort would be more efficient than 27 separate national armies.”

Seven countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt say they will join US president Donald Trump's Board of Peace, according to a joint statement, BBC reported. 

They will join Israel, which also publicly confirmed its participation earlier.

On Wednesday evening Trump said Vladimir Putin had also agreed to join - but the Russian president said his country was still studying the invitation, according to BBC. 

Three Palestinian journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza, first responders say, BBC reported. 

Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said their car was hit in the al-Zahra area and named them as Mohammed Salah Qashta, Anas Ghneim and Abdul Raouf Shaat. They are understood to have been working for an Egyptian relief organisation.

The Israeli military said it struck "several suspects who operated a drone affiliated with Hamas... in a manner that posed a threat" to its troops. It added that the incident was under examination, according to BBC. 

President Donald Trump says the US is exploring a potential deal on Greenland after talks with Nato as he dropped plans to impose tariffs on European countries that had opposed his plans for America to acquire the island, BBC reported. 

On social media, Trump said a "very productive meeting" with Nato's leader had led to the "framework" of a potential agreement covering Greenland and the Arctic, offering few details.

Nato also described the meeting as "very productive" - and said discussions on the framework mentioned by Trump would focus on ensuring Arctic security, according to BBC. 

The Election Commission has stated that complaints were filed against five candidates from four districts among, 3, 487 candidates who registered their nominations in all 165 constituencies on Tuesday for the House of Representatives elections to be held on March 5. 

EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said  that complaints were filed against a candidate from Sunsari-2, one from Rautahat-1, two from Bhaktapur-2, and one from Kailali-1. 

He said that five complaints were filed at the Offices of Returning Officers in all 165 constituencies across the country from 10 am to 3 pm today. 

The period for filing complaints was determined in case the candidates who registered their nominations between 10 am to 3 pm today did not meet the qualifications.

It is stated that nominations and complaints will be reviewed from 3 pm today and decisions will be made by 5 pm on January 22, he said. 

The list of candidates will be published from 5 pm to 7 pm on the same day. 

On January 23, candidates will have the time from 10 am to 1 pm to withdraw their nominations. 

The final list of candidates will be published from 1 pm to 3 pm on January 23. 

On the same day, from 4 pm to 7 pm, candidates will be provided with election symbols. 

According to the commission, 3,089 men, 396 women, and one third-gender candidate have been registered, totaling 3,487 candidates.

The call center launched by the Election Commission (EC) on January 19 is capable of receiving 15 calls simultaneously. 

Established in view of the  House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5, the facility aims to provide voters with information related to election matters.

According to EC Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the call center is based at the EC office in Kantipath and has been set up to address concerns and queries from voters, citizens, and other stakeholders regarding the March 5 elections. 

Voters can dial the toll-free number 1102 for any election-related inquiries.

The facility is equipped with six desks and operates daily from 9 am to 6 pm, Bhattarai said.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 9. 43 points to close at 2, 705. 38 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 35 points to close at 465. 90 points.

A total of 21,641,883-unit shares of 324 companies were traded for Rs 1. 54 billion.

Meanwhile, Kalika power Company Ltd (KPCL) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 84 percent.

Likewise, Gurans Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (GLBSL) was the top loser as its price fell by 5. 89 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 54 trillion.