Nepal votes in 165 seats; turnout at 18% till noon in crucial polls

Kathmandu, Mar 5: Nepalese citizens began arriving at polling booths across all 165 constituencies on Thursday morning amid tight security to cast their votes in a crucial general election.

It’s the first since a violent Gen Z protest toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government last year.

The country recorded a turnout of about 18% until noon, according to the Election Commission. Around 1.93 million people had exercised their franchise by that time.

More than 18.9 million eligible Nepalese are voting to elect the 275-member House of Representatives.

Nepal has declared a three-day public holiday starting Wednesday for the polls.

Voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Counting will start immediately after ballot boxes are collected.

“Voting started in all constituencies, including the southern plains, hilly areas and mountain regions, at 7 am,” Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said.

“The election has begun in a peaceful environment across the country,” he added.

According to Election Commission data, there are 10,967 polling booths and 23,112 polling centres across the country. As many as 65 political parties are participating in the election.

A total of 3,406 candidates are contesting 165 seats under the first-past-the-post system, while 3,135 candidates are vying for 110 seats through the proportional representation system.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of the polls, Acting Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said all preparations for the election had been completed and urged voters to participate actively in the democratic exercise.

Voting is proceeding smoothly across the country, with minor incidents reported at a few locations, Election Commissioner Sagun Shumsher Rana was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post.

Nepal Police confirmed that apart from minor disagreements at a few polling stations, no serious incidents had occurred.

In Kathmandu, the weather was clear and people were enthusiastically queuing up to cast their votes.

Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki cast her vote from the Kathmandu-5 constituency at Dhapasi on the outskirts of the capital on Thursday morning. “I have cast my vote. I am happy that people are participating in the general election,” she said.

Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa cast his vote from the Kathmandu-4 constituency in Maitidevi earlier in the day. “This election was needed to bring the Constitution back on the right track,” he said.

PTI