Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) prime ministerial candidate and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah votes in Nepal’s general election, at a polling station in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (PTI Photo)
Nepal Election LIVE Updates: Voting is currently underway for Nepal’s first general election since violent youth-led protests forced the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and led to the dissolution of Parliament. Voting began at 7 am on Thursday and will continue until 5 pm, with as many as 18.9 million voters expected to cast their votes.
The election is widely seen as a contest between traditional political forces and a new generation of leaders advocating systemic reform. Voters will elect members of the 275-seat House of Representatives (CoR), of which 165 will be decided by direct vote, while 110 will be allocated according to the proportional representation system. According to the Electoral Commission, 3,406 candidates are competing under the direct voting system and 3,135 candidates are competing for seats under the proportional representation system.
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Main contenders: The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), led by KP Sharma Oli, and the Nepalese Communist Party led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ are being considered traditional forces. On the other hand, the Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP), led by Ravi Lamichhane with its leader Balendra Shah, and the reformed Nepali Congress under Gagan Thapa have publicly expressed their support for the issues raised by the youth movement.
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