Nearly six months after the Gen Z protest that rocked the Himalayan nation and toppled the government of KP Sharma Oli, Nepal is all set to get a new prime minister. The polling for the elections began around 7 am local time on Thursday and concluded at 5 pm. After the polling ended, the process to start the counting of votes began.ย
In these elections, former rapper Balendra Shah-led Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) is the new entrant and has reportedly posed a challenge to the Nepali Congress party and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). The RSP, which was formed in 2022, had received massive support during the Gen Z protests, with Balendra Shah emerging as a prime ministerial candidate if the party wins the elections.ย
Meanwhile, other parties that are in the fray for these elections are CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre).
These elections are being held to elect 275 members of the Nepal’s House of Representatives. According to Nepal’s election commission, 65 political parties in total were in fray, and around 3,406 candidates are contesting the 165 directly elected constituencies. On the other hand, 3,135 candidates are vying for 110 proportional representation constituencies. The poll body had also deployed around 3 lakh security personnel and sealed the India-Nepal border to ensure that law and order is maintained.ย
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