Kathmandu, March 5: In Nepal’s parliamentary elections, approximately 24 percent of registered voters had cast their ballots by 1 PM on Thursday. The Election Commission reported that voting was proceeding peacefully across the nation.
As per the latest update from the Election Commission, over 4 million people exercised their voting rights since polls opened at 7 AM. This figure represents 24 percent of the total registered voters.
According to statistics, more than 18.9 million individuals are eligible to vote, including 915,119 newly registered voters. This marks the first election in the country following the Gen-Z protests in September last year, which led to the ousting of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government.
The elections aim to select 275 members for the lower house, with 165 chosen through the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system and 110 through proportional representation.
Police reported that the elections were proceeding smoothly nationwide, with only a few minor incidents reported. Deputy Inspector General of Nepal Police, Abi Narayan Kafle, stated that polling was largely uninterrupted, aside from some minor disturbances that were quickly controlled.
He remarked, “Overall, the elections are taking place in a very peaceful environment across the country. There have been no incidents of violence reported by noon.”
In the Dolakha district of central Nepal, an incident occurred at a polling station in Tamakoshi Rural Municipality, where a candidate’s representative attempted to assault a polling officer. Voting was temporarily halted as a result. The officer had denied the representative’s request to vote alone, leading to the attack.
Assistant Chief District Officer of Dolakha, Aulakh Bahadur Ale, mentioned, “Police fired warning shots to control the situation. Voting has now been suspended, and an all-party meeting is underway to resolve the matter.”
Earlier in the day, minor scuffles were reported at a polling center in the southern Nepal constituency of Siraha-4, where Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa is contesting against his main rival, Amresh Kumar Singh of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).
According to police, no other incidents occurred by Thursday afternoon that could significantly impact the elections. Prime Minister Sushila Karki and other top leaders had already cast their votes.
Among those who voted were Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli, Nepal Communist Party Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, RSP President Rabi Lamichhane, and senior RSP leader and Prime Ministerial candidate Balendra Shah.
After casting her vote, Prime Minister Karki urged voters to actively participate in the democratic process. She stated, “I appeal to all voters to cast their precious vote, as voting will determine our future.”
Leave a Comment