Voter Turnout for House of Representatives Election Reaches 60%, Lower Than Previous Polls

Kathmandu. The Election Commission announced that 60 percent of votes were cast in the House of Representatives election held on Thursday. The turnout was slightly lower compared to previous elections, with voting taking place from 7 AM to 5 PM. This election was held to seek a fresh mandate after the House of Representatives was dissolved due to the 'Janjati' agitation in Bhadra.

According to the Commission, voting proceeded peacefully across the country, with only minor isolated incidents reported in some areas. In the 18 years since the establishment of the Republic, two Constituent Assembly elections and two Federal House of Representatives elections have already taken place. Parliamentary elections were held in 2048, 2051, and 2056 following the political change of 2046. Commission data shows that the highest voter turnout among these elections was recorded in the 2070 Constituent Assembly election.

Constituent Assembly Election-2064

In the first Constituent Assembly election, out of a total of 17,611,832 voters, 10,866,131 votes were cast. Of these, 10,306,120 votes were deemed valid, while 560,011 votes were rejected. Overall, 61.69 percent of votes were cast.

Under the Proportional Representation system, a total of 11,146,540 votes were cast, of which 10,739,078 (96.34 percent) were declared valid.

At that time, there was a provision for temporary voters. Temporary voting rights were arranged for employees working in government offices, local bodies, state-owned or controlled institutions, military and police personnel in barracks, Maoist combatants in camps, prisoners, and staff deployed at polling centers. There were 413,544 temporary voters for the Constituent Assembly member election.

Constituent Assembly Election-2070

In the second Constituent Assembly member election, there were a total of 12,147,000 voters. Of these, 9,044,908 votes, or 74.46 percent, were cast under the first-past-the-post system. A total of 9,463,862 votes were cast under Proportional Representation.

House of Representatives Election-2074

In the House of Representatives election held in 2074 after the promulgation of the new constitution, out of a total of 15,428,160 voters, the total valid votes were 10,581,687. The total rejected votes at that time were 450,484. The total percentage turnout in that election was 68.59 percent.  

Similarly, under Proportional Representation, out of a total valid vote of 10,550,520, the rejected votes were 1,531,223. The total turnout was 68.38 percent.

House of Representatives Election-2079

In the previous House of Representatives election, the total number of voters was 17,988,570. A total of 10,566,700 votes were cast, representing 58.7 percent turnout. In the three parliamentary elections held before the establishment of the Federal Democratic Republic, the turnout exceeded 65 percent. The highest turnout was recorded in 2070 BS.

Total Voter Count

General Election, 2048: 11,191,777

General Election, 2051: 12,327,329

General Election, 2056: 13,518,839

Votes Cast and Percentage

General Election, 2048: 7,291,084 (65.15%)

General Election, 2051: 7,625,348 (61.86%)

General Election, 2056: 8,894,566 (65.79%)

Valid Votes and Percentage

General Election, 2048: 6,969,061 (95.58%)

General Election, 2051: 7,384,277 (96.84%)

General Election, 2056: 8,649,664 (97.25%)

Rejected vote percentages were 4.42%, 3.16%, and 2.75% respectively.