Nepal: Polls Set To Open For 17 New Members For The National Assembly

Polls are set to start from 9 AM (Local Time) to elect 17 new members for the National Assembly, which will fall vacant from March 4, 2026, according to the Election Commission.

The Commission said all preparations have been completed for the voting, which will take place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm across all seven provinces.

Though 18 seats in the upper house of the Federal Parliament are set to be vacant, the one post under the Khas Arya category in Koshi Province has already been filled unopposed.

“Nepali Congress candidate Sunil Bahadur Thapa was elected without contest. It was unopposed,” Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai told ANI.

Elected representatives from various bodies are set to vote to choose the remaining 17 seats.

The Election Commission has designated the Provincial Election Offices as the polling stations for all seven provinces. As per the Election Commission, polling stations have been set in Biratnagar, Morang (Koshi Province); Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Mithila Cultural Centre in Janakpur Sub-metropolitan City-4, Dhanusha (Madhesh Province); and Bhutan Devi Secondary School in Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City-4, Makawanpur (Bagmati Province).

Similarly, polling stations have been set up at the Provincial Election Office in Pokhara, Kaski (Gandaki Province); the Lumbini Province Employees’ Meeting Centre in Ghorahi, Dang; the Provincial Election Office in Birendranagar, Surkhet (Karnali Province); and the Provincial Election Office in Dhangadhi, Kailali (Sudurpaschim Province).

For the National Assembly election, members of the Provincial Assemblies, mayors and deputy mayors, and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of rural municipalities will be eligible to vote.

The Commission noted that the vote weight assigned to the election has been reduced following the resignations of several elected representatives who are contesting the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5. (ANI)