The constituent assembly will be radically different from any elected house in Nepali history.

Not only will a third of the members be women, but the sea of faces will also be more representative of Nepal's ethnic diversity. Tharu, Tamang, Dalit, Magar, Rai, Limbu, Gurung, never included in proportion to their populations in the past, will be present.

To be sure, the ratios will still not be completely proportional, and the smaller among the 103 ethnic groups in Nepal will not have a place. Still, most rights activists say it is a vast improvement on the elite-dominance of past legislatures.

After the final results of the elections were announced on Wednesday, the final tally of janajati candidates in the first-past-the-post ballot stood at 81. Another 124 janajatis will be selected in the proportional representation segment, bringing the janajati ratio to 34 percent of the 601-member assembly.

This does not quite match the 37 percent of Nepal's population which they comprise, but it is an improvement on their representation in parliaments in the 1990s, which was never more than 29 percent.

The majority of janajatis who won seats in the FPTP ballot are Maoists, with 51 candidates. Other parties trail behind with 12 janajatis from the UML, 10 from the NC, 4 from the MJF, 2 from the NWPP and one each from TLMP and Janamorcha.

Some janajati groups will have representation in parliament for the first time. Rama Nanda Mandal who won in Morang-4 is the first ever MP from the Ganagain community. Despite being the three largest janajati groups in Nepal, Magars, Tamangs and Tharus never had proper representation in parliament, and that has changed this time.

Pasang Sherpa, president of Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) says the election results mark a great stride forward for the janajati movement, but adds that simply being elected is not enough. "Janajati MPs will now have to raise our issues and lobby to get them passed in the assembly," he told Nepali Times.

NEFIN"S agenda has long included ethnic and linguistic autonomy with right to self-determination. The Maoists adopted a similar policy for the constitution, proposing 11 ethnically-based federal states.

Maoist representative Jayapur Gharti says: "Janajatis want their voices heard. We want inclusion and participation at the policy level." After years of waiting, she is hopeful that janajatis' grievances will be addressed this time.

Dewan Rai