NC emerges the largest party with 57 seats under direct election

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress Party, has become the largest party, with 57 seats as the vote counting of HoR under direct electoral method concluded on Monday. According to the Election Commission, CPN-UML has bagged 44 seats under direct voting, whereas CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist won 18 and 10 seats respectively.

Similarly, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Janata Samajwadi Party have won seven seat each. Likewise, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party have won 4 and 3 seats respectively. Rastriya Janamorcha, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and Janamat Party have won one each seats. The independent candidates have won five seats. The vote counting of all 165 HoR seats under direct voting method has concluded, informed Shaligram Poudyal, spokesperson at the Election Commission. However, vote counting under proportionate voting system of two constituencies has remained so far.

Under proportionate voting, CPN-UML has got highest number of votes, 2791,734 followed by Nepali Congress with 2666.262. CPN-MC and RSP have received 1162,931 and 1124,557 votes respectively. Similarly, RPP, JSP and Janamat have received 586,979, 420,946 and 394,253 votes respectively.

So far, 12 political parties and five independent candidates have been represented in the HoR. Similarly, seven political parties, NC, CPN-UML, CPN-MC, RSP, RPP, JSP and Janamat, have got recognition as the national party. Although CPN-US bagged 10 seats in HoR the party failed to get 3 percent votes to cross the threshold to get recognition as the national party. C.K. Rawat’s Janamat Partya has become national party though it has won only one seat under direct voting system. The party is likely to get 5 more seats under proportionate voting.

Under proportionate voting system, CPN-UML is likely to get 33 seats followed by Nepali Congress 32 and CPN-MC 14. RSP, RPP, JSP and Janamat are likely to get 14, 7, 5 and 5 seats respectively.

With this the Nepali Congress will emerge as the largest party with 89 seats in the HoR followed by CPN-UML with 77 seats. CPN-MC will get third position with 32 seats, RSP fourth with 21 seats and RPP fifth with 14 seats. Two Madhesi parties JSP and Janamat are likely to get 12 and 6 seats respectively with the recognition of national parties.

As the total strength of the HoR is 275 any political party, which wants to form a majority government needs support of 138 Lawmakers. But no any single party will be able to garner support of required 138 seats, which will compel the parties to form a coalition government with the support of two or more parties.

Meanwhile, the ruling five party alliance has called its post-election joint meeting to review the election performance and to work out future road map including power sharing and formation of government.