The National Assembly elections concluded across the country on Sunday with a voter turnout of 95.68 per cent, according to the Election Commission (EC). Voting was held from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and was completed within the stipulated time in all seven provinces.
The Election Commission said the voting process was conducted peacefully and smoothly, with no reports of major disturbances. EC Deputy Secretary and Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said ballot boxes were collected immediately after polling,g and vote counting was carried out at designated offices of the Chief Election Officer, with results announced shortly afterwards.
The election was held to fill 18 National Assembly seats, while one additional seat will be filled through a presidential appointment on the recommendation of the government, bringing the total number of vacant seats to 19.
Despite the high turnout, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) abstained from participating in the election. RPP spokesperson Mohan Shrestha said the party chose not to take part as its focus remains on the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5. In addition, some provincial assembly members and local-level representatives from other political parties were also absent during the voting process.
Candidates from the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML, and the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP) emerged victorious in the election. The outcome reflects a prior political understanding among the three parties to coordinate their candidacies for the National Assembly polls.
Under the agreement, NC fielded candidates for nine seats, UML for eight, and LSP for one out of the 18 seats contested through voting. The agreement was reached during the tenure of Sher Bahadur Deuba as NC president, with Purna Bahadur Khadka serving as acting president.
In Koshi Province, Sunil Bahadur Thapa of the Nepali Congress was elected unopposed, while CPN-UML candidates Roshani Meche and Som Nath Portel won the remaining seats. Madhesh Province returned Dharmendra Paswan and Ranjit Karna (NC), Rekha Kumari Jha (UML) and Mahantha Thakur (LSP).
In Bagmati Province, Gita Devkota (NC) and Prem Prasad Dangal (UML) were elected, while Gandaki Province saw victories for Samjhana Devkota (UML) and Jagat Timilsina (NC). Lumbini Province elected Basudev Jangali and Chandra Bahadur KC (NC), along with Ram Kumari Jhakri (UML).
Similarly, Karnali Province elected Lalit Jung Shahi (NC) and Meena Singh Rakhal (UML), while Sudurpashchim Province returned Leela Kumari Bhandari (UML) and Khamma Bahadur Khati (NC).
With the completion of the election, the National Assembly is set to take its new shape ahead of the upcoming parliamentary processes.
