At a time when caste-based discrimination was deeply rooted in society and the conservative mindset opposed sending daughters to school, children from the Dalit community rarely had access to education.
Mitrakumari Pariyar grew up in such an environment in Dedhgaun, Baudikali Rural Municipality-3, Nawalparasi East. Today, she leads Ward 13 of Gorkha Municipality as its elected chairperson. In the last local elections, she defeated CPN (Maoist) candidate Haribahadur Khanal, securing the position under the Nepali Congress banner.
Overcoming social barriers
As a Dalit woman, many of Pariyar’s childhood dreams remained unfulfilled. However, her parents ensured she received an education. Her mother, Phoolmaya Nepali, moved to a lower-altitude area to enroll her in school, as there were none in their village.
Despite the fear of malaria outbreaks, she pursued her education and became the first woman from her Dalit community to pass the SLC (now SEE) exam from Dedhgaun Secondary School in 1989. Pariyar continued her studies at Prithvi Narayan Campus in Pokhara, earning a Proficiency Certificate in Humanities. Her goal was to secure a government job, and she awaited opportunities.
Entering politics and leadership
After marrying and moving to Gorkha, she received strong support from her husband. In 1995, a year after her marriage, she took the Public Service Commission exam for teaching. Though she passed the written test, she was rejected in the interview. Instead of giving up, she pursued a bachelor’s degree at Aanbukhaireni Campus in Tanahun.
Her husband’s political involvement gradually influenced her, sparking an interest in social work. In 2000, she became a social mobiliser under the Women and Children’s Office’s Women Awareness Program. She served as a social mobiliser in the former Deurali VDC for 17 years, during which she developed a deeper interest in politics.
“I traveled to different villages, listened to the problems of women, and advocated for solutions. That’s when my passion for social work and politics grew,” she recalls.
Although she had little political awareness during her student years, she became actively involved after marriage. On August 6, 2006, she joined the Nepali Congress and was elected as a ward representative in the party convention.
Challenges and political success
Since then, she actively participated in women’s issues, raised voices against human rights violations and gender-based violence, and joined the Dalit Women Association. In 2017, she was elected as an executive member of Gorkha Municipality. This role helped her understand governance, and in the 2022 local elections, she won the Ward 13 chairperson seat, marking the first time in three years that a Congress candidate had won in the ward.
Winning the election as a Dalit woman was not easy. She faced insults during her campaign, with some people sarcastically commenting, “Now we have to greet a Damini (a derogatory term for Dalits).” Despite this, she remained undeterred.
Currently, she is the only female ward chairperson among the 14 wards in Gorkha Municipality. Across all 94 wards in the district, only three are led by women, and she is the only Dalit woman in such a leadership position.
Leading a ward dominated by Brahmins and Chhetris, she has observed subtle discrimination. “No one openly shows bias, but I can sense a different attitude towards me as a Dalit woman,” she shares. Even in municipal meetings, she sometimes feels sidelined.
“In meetings, my proposals are often ignored, and my ward’s plans receive less budget allocation,” she states, hinting at systemic discrimination. Despite this, she has secured funds from provincial and federal governments for various projects, including a Rs 6.5 million irrigation project in Chepangtari, Galchina, and Darai villages. She also initiated the blacktopping of a major road connecting her ward office with Rs 60 million in funding.
Commitment to good governance
From the day she took office, Pariyar pledged to establish a corruption-free and transparent ward. She made all ward representatives and employees commit to not accepting bribes. Infrastructure development, including a ward office building and concrete roads, is progressing under her leadership.
She prioritises convenience for residents, ensuring services like tax payments and recommendation letters are accessible even via phone. “If residents can’t come to the office, I process the documents and have them delivered to their homes,” she explains.
Her leadership journey has not been without challenges. In her first year, ward services would halt in her absence, but she later appointed deputies to ensure continuity.
Breaking barriers for Dalit women
Pariyar believes that caste-based and gender discrimination persist due to a lack of education and economic disparity. “To end untouchability and discrimination, awareness campaigns must be conducted in every village,” she emphasises.
She continues to push for women’s empowerment, running income-generating programs for women in her ward. Having faced discrimination herself—she recalls being treated differently at water taps after marriage—she is determined to eliminate such biases.
“Earlier, people hesitated to let me touch the water tap. Now, as ward chairperson, I don’t know if that discrimination still exists,” she remarks.
At 49, balancing her roles as a leader and homemaker is not easy, but she manages her time effectively. Her work has won appreciation from locals.
Shambhu Acharya, a resident, says, “She not only ensures ward services but also helps in personal emergencies. People don’t regret voting for her.”
Looking ahead, Pariyar intends to continue her political and social work. “I want to prove that I can work as efficiently as any non-Dalit male leader,” she states. This suggests she may have her eyes set on a higher leadership position in the future.
