Bakke-3 Constituency: Electing Dalit Candidates Victorious Three Times

March 24, Nepalgunj — Bakke-3 constituency has elected a Dalit candidate to the House of Representatives for the third time. In the elections held on March 6 (Falgun 21), Khagendra Sunar from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswap) secured victory from Bakke-3.

Among 165 direct constituencies for the House of Representatives, Khagendra Sunar is the only candidate from the Dalit community to have won. Dalit activist Sunar joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party on January 12, 2026 BS (January 25, 2020 AD).

Although the Dalit community makes up approximately 13.4 percent of Nepal’s total population, only one Dalit candidate won in the direct elections for the House of Representatives this time, limiting Dalit representation to 0.61 percent.

Nepal’s 2015 Constitution aimed to build equality and inclusivity based on the principle of proportional inclusion and participation, as stipulated in the preamble. However, direct election results have not addressed the essence of these constitutional provisions.

In this election, Nepali Congress fielded only one Dalit candidate, Prakash Rasailee Snehi, from Bajhang, whereas the CPN-UML nominated Chakra Snehi from Dadeldhura-1 and Bimala Bik from Bardiya-2.

The Nepal Communist Party put forward Padam Bishwakarma from Syangja-2 and Man Bahadur Sunar from Kanchanpur-3, but none secured a win.

Article 40 of the Constitution mandates proportional participation of Dalits in all governmental bodies, but major political parties have shown apathy in practical implementation.

Despite the Dalit population being 13.4 percent, Nepali Congress and Raswap collectively fielded only one direct candidate (0.61 percent), while UML and NCP fielded two candidates each, combining to 1.21 percent Dalit candidates.

Dalit rights activist and writer JB Bishwakarma stated, “Major parties do not grant direct tickets to community leaders, and when they do, often these candidates contest in constituencies where winning is unlikely.”

While Dalit representation in the House of Representatives has declined overall, Bakke-3 has successfully elected Dalit representatives in 1991 (2048 BS), 2014 (2070 BS), and 2026 (2082 BS).

In 1991, Krishna Singh Pariyar from Nepali Congress was elected from this area and also served as the chairperson of the State Affairs Committee.

In the 2014 Constituent Assembly elections, Dalbahadur Sunar from CPN-UML was elected from Bakke-3, vigorously raising Dalit issues in the assembly.

In the recent election, Khagendra Sunar from Raswap was elected after competing in Bakke-3.

According to Dalit rights activist Prakash Upadhyay, the primary reason for the consistent victory of Dalit candidates from Bakke-3 is the presence of approximately 17 to 18 thousand Dalit voters in the constituency and the community’s need for its own representation.

Bakke-3 is a Dalit-majority constituency, with roughly 9 percent hill Dalits and 6 percent Madhesi Dalits, totaling about 15 percent of the population. Out of 117,354 registered voters, 17,631 are Dalit voters.

What are the primary demands of the Dalit community?

JB Bishwakarma explained that the main issue for the Dalit community is the lack of unified legislation to implement the constitutional rights guaranteed under Article 40.

Article 40 guarantees proportional participation; free education, health, and social security; skill and technology protection; land provisions; housing rights; and proportional distribution arrangements. However, without unified legislation, these rights remain inaccessible for Dalits.

Government budgets and policies are not Dalit-friendly. Despite the national poverty rate averaging 20.3 percent, the Dalit poverty rate is estimated between 41 and 42 percent, roughly double the national average. Yet government budgets and policies have had limited impact in reducing Dalit poverty.

Approximately 39 percent of Dalits in Nepal are landless. Despite longstanding dialogue, issues of landlessness and squatters have yet to be resolved.

Bishwakarma urges Dalit representatives elected to the House to actively voice these concerns.

Who is Khagendra Sunar?

Khagendra Sunar was born on May 16, 1990 (Jestha 2, 2047 BS) in Chhatikot, Narayan Municipality-5, Dailekh. He studied up to class 8 and completed his higher secondary education in Surkhet, Birendranagar. Since 2009, he has been active as an artist and journalist with Radio Panchkoshi.

Sunar holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from Kathmandu’s RR Campus. Alongside journalism, he acted as coordinator for Dalit advocacy.

He faced social ostracism due to an intercaste marriage with Sita Gurung from Dailekh. Following the marriage, Sita was not allowed to visit her parental home.

Sunar emerged as a prominent and aggressive Dalit activist after the murder of six people including Navraj Bik in Rukum West on May 23, 2020 (Jestha 10, 2077 BS).

From May 2021, he launched the ‘Khai’ campaign for Dalits, and on August 8, 2024 (Shrawan 23, 2081 BS), participated in symbolic protests by applying nail polish at Maitighar to highlight discrimination against Dalits.

Through these symbolic protests, he drew public attention to issues of discrimination and deprivation faced by the Dalit community.

In 2025 (2082 BS), he registered the ‘Hamro Party Nepal’ and later united it with the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

In the March 6 elections, Raswap fielded Khagendra Sunar as its candidate from Bakke-3. Though originally from Dailekh, he has been active in Kathmandu leading Dalit advocacy efforts. Often seen as a new face in the constituency, Sunar earned the trust of Dalit voters to win a seat in the House of Representatives.