Nepal votes today, Deuba-led coalition tipped to have edge

New Delhi, November 19

Nepal will hold national and provincial elections on Sunday in a contest seen as having geopolitical implications with the entry of the US, besides traditional influencers India and China. If in 2017 China had prevailed after the Communists swept the elections, this time the edge is tipped to be with the pro-India Nepali Congress — led by PM Sher Bahadur Deuba — contesting with breakaway communist factions and Terai-based parties.

About 1.8 crore will vote for 275-member Parliament, of which 165 seats are under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system and the remaining 110 members through proportional representation. Similarly, 330 out of 550 provincial Assembly members will be elected under the FPTP system and rest 220 through proportional representation. The ruling coalition seemed way ahead after it bagged the largest number of seats in local elections in May. But the departure of a Terai party — JSP — has somewhat evened the scales.