Kathmandu, 5 Mar

Tens of thousands of Nepalese people voted on Thursday in the crucial parliamentary elections to elect a new prime minister, six months after a violent Gen Z protest toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government.

The elections are being closely watched by India, which hopes for a stable government in the politically fragile Himalayan nation to take forward the developmental partnership between the two sides.

Newly formed Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) led by former rapper Balendra Shah, who was also the mayor of Kathmandu, is posing a tough challenge to two traditional political parties - the Nepali Congress party and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).

The RSP, formed in 2022, has received significant support during the campaign and Shah is said to be a strong candidate for prime minister. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) were part of the government toppled by the Gen Z last year.

Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa is the prime ministerial candidate of his party, whereas the CPN (UML) has projected Oli as its PM face.

According to the Election Commission, the voting across Nepal is taking place in a peaceful and orderly atmosphere. Voting started at 7am and will continue till 5pm. The counting will start immediately after the ballot boxes are collected.

Around 3.16 million people have exercised their franchise till 12 pm, with the voting process going smoothly, it said.

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

Nepal's 18.9 million voters are eligible to elect 275 members of the House of Representatives. They will elect 165 HoR members through first past the post (FPTP) or direct voting system, and 110 members through proportionate voting.

Around 3,400 candidates are vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates for 110 seats through proportionate voting.

Nepal Police confirmed that apart from minor disagreements at a few locations, no serious problems had occurred.

"Some jostling is expected during elections, but no major issues have arisen. We are ensuring that the voting process remains peaceful throughout the day," Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle said.

"Voting started in all the constituencies, including the southern plains, hilly area and the mountain region at 7am," Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said.

"The election started in a peaceful environment across the country," he added.

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

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

Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki cast her vote from Kathmandu-5 constituency at Dhapasi on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Thursday morning.

"I have cast my vote, I am happy that people are casting their votes, participating in the general election," she said.

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

Thapa is contesting the election from Dhanusha-4 constituency.

RSP president Ravi Lamichhane cast his vote from the Chuchepati area on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Shah cast his vote from Gairegaun, Kathmandu. He is contesting the election from Jhapa-5.

Ousted premier Oli cast his vote from Balkot in Bhaktapur district.

The Gen Z youth, through their two-day intensified protests on 8 and 9 September, ousted Prime Minister Oli, chair of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) - CPN-UML - who was heading a coalition government with the backing of Nepali Congress that enjoyed nearly two-thirds majority support.

The CPN-UML, led by ousted PM Oli, has emerged as the hardliner force. Though former premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda-led NCP claims to have addressed the issues raised by the Gen Z, they have not handed over the party leadership to the younger generation.

RSP and the reformed Nepali Congress are voicing the issues raised by the Gen Z, while CPN-UML and Nepali Communist Party, led by ‘Prachanda’, are known as the traditional forces.

Ujyalo Nepal Party, led by Kulman Ghising, and Shram Shakti Party, led by former Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang, are also emerging forces but enjoy support in limited pockets only.

After Oli's ouster, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as the caretaker PM.

The major issues raised by Gen Z are anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism, generational change in political leadership, etc.

Starting Wednesday, Nepal has declared a three-day holiday for the polls.

There are a total of 10,967 polling booths and 23,112 polling centres, the Election Commission data showed. As many as 65 political parties are taking part in the election.