Nepal Elections 2026: 19 lakh people have voted so far in Nepal, know what percentage of votes were cast till 11 o’clock

Kathmandu. Around 10.18 per cent voting was recorded till 11am on Thursday in Nepal’s first general election since ‘Gen Z’ protests last year. The Election Commission said that till 11 am, about 19 lakh people exercised their franchise. Earlier, the commission had said that till 9.30 am around six per cent of eligible voters cast their votes. Last year, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government in Nepal fell after violent ‘Gen Z’ protests. The ‘Gen Z’ generation refers to people born between 1997 and 2012. More than 1.89 crore Nepalese are eligible to exercise their franchise in this general election.

There are 3,406 candidates in the fray for the 165 seats of Nepal’s 275-member House of Representatives for which direct voting is to be held. Apart from these, elections are to be held on 110 seats through proportional voting for which 3,135 candidates are in the fray. Voting began at 7 am and will end at 5 pm. Counting of votes will begin immediately after the ballot boxes are collected. According to ‘Kathmandu Post’, Election Commissioner Sagun Shamsher Rana said that voting was going on smoothly across the country and there were minor incidents at some places. Nepal Police confirmed that apart from minor differences at some places, no serious problems have arisen.

Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle said, “There is a possibility of minor untoward incidents during the elections, but no major problems have arisen. We are ensuring that the voting process remains peaceful.” Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said, “Voting started at 7 am in all constituencies including southern plains, hilly areas and hilly areas.” He said, “Elections across the country began in a peaceful atmosphere.” Acting Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari had said in a press conference held here on the eve of voting that all preparations for the elections have been completed.

He urged voters to participate actively and enthusiastically in the democratic process. Caretaker Prime Minister Sushila Karki cast her vote in Kathmandu-5 constituency in Dhapasi on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Thursday morning. Nepali Congress President and party’s candidate for Prime Minister Gagan Thapa cast his vote from Kathmandu-4 constituency in Maitidevi in ​​the morning. Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Ravi Lamichhane cast his vote in Chuchepati on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

RSP’s prime ministerial candidate and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah ‘Balen’ cast his vote from Garegaon in Kathmandu. He is contesting from Jhapa-5. Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) chief Oli was ousted after ‘Gen Z’ youth protested on September 8 and 9 against corruption and nepotism and demanding generational change in political leadership and good governance.

After Oli’s ouster, Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as acting Prime Minister. Nepal has declared a three-day holiday from Wednesday for elections. According to Election Commission data, a total of 10,967 polling booths and 23,112 polling stations have been created. 65 political parties are participating in the elections.