102 parties to contest election independently

Kathmandu – In the upcoming election for members of the House of Representatives scheduled for 21 Falgun, 102 political parties have decided to contest independently.

The spokesman of the Election Commission of Nepal (EC), Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, said that out of 120 parties who submitted applications to participate in the election, 102 applied to contest on their own.

He added that 12 parties submitted applications to contest jointly using a single election symbol. According to him, those 12 parties — forming different groups — will contest using five different election symbols.

In total, 114 political parties will take part in the election using single and joint election symbols, contesting under 107 different symbols. The EC has already approved the parties’ applications.

Meanwhile, the EC said that the proportional‑representation election schedule begins from Sunday. Parties wishing to participate under the proportional‑representation system can submit applications until Tuesday. Once the applications are reviewed, approval will be granted by 26 Mangsir, and the final candidate list for proportional seats will be published on 13 and 14 Poush.

The Commission has directed that 50 percent of the candidates on the closed lists must be women. As for the first‑past‑the‑post seats, candidate nominations are scheduled for 6 Magh.