Nepal Elections 2026 Live Updates: Nepal is voting today to elect a new government in the first general election since the violent Gen Z-led protest that ousted the previous KP Sharma Oli-led government of the Himalayan nation last year.
About 19 million of 35 million Nepalese are eligible to vote today and elect the 275-member House of Representatives. As many as 3,406 candidates are vying for 165 seats under direct voting, while another 3,135 candidates are in the fray for 110 seats through proportional voting.
There are a total of 10,967 polling booths and 23,112 polling centres, according to Election Commission data. As many as 65 political parties are taking part in the election.
What time will voting begin?
Voting starts at 7 AM Nepali time, which is 7.15 AM in India. The voting will conclude at 5 PM Nepali time. Vote counting will begin immediately after the ballot boxes are collected.
Nepal’s mountainous terrain makes it slow and difficult to transport ballots, which are counted by hand. The results might take a day or two to be announced.
The CPN-UML, led by KP Sharma Oli, who was ousted last year, has emerged as the hardliner force. Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP), led by its chair Ravi Lamichhane and senior leader Balendra Shah, and the reformed Nepali Congress, led by Gagan Thapa, 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.
RSP has projected former Kathmandu Mayor Balen, 35, as its prime ministerial candidate, while Nepali Congress has projected 49-year-old Thapa for the top post. CPN-UML has projected Oli, 75, as its PM face.
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