Jan 26, Kathmandu- Voting for 19 vacant posts of National Assembly members have started from 9 am on Wednesday. Voting has started from 9 am in eight polling stations and 14 centers in seven states and it will end at 3 pm.

Election Commission spokesperson Shaligram Poudel said that voting was going on peacefully in all the centers. Voting is being held for the Provincial Election Office for the Chief and Deputy Chief of the Municipal Corporation in Province 1 and the Crop Protection Laboratory for the Provincial Assembly members in Biratnagar.

Similarly, polling is underway at Gandaki Provincial Election Office Pokhara, Staff Meeting Center Dang for Lumbini Province, Provincial Election Office Surkhet for Karnali Province, and Provincial Assembly Building Dhangadhi for Far Western Province. Elections have been held for the vacancies of eight members of the CPN (UML), four members of the CPN (Unified Socialist), four members of the CPN (Maoist Center), and three members of the Nepali Congress.

There is a constitutional provision that a member of the National Assembly must be elected 35 days before the end of his term. Candidates of Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Rashtriya Janamorcha, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party Nepal, Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party, Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, and Rashtriya Prajatantra Party are in the fray.

There are 2,025 voters in the election including members of the state assembly and the chief and deputy chief of the municipality. In the election, the votes of the members of the state assembly will be 48, and the votes of the chief and deputy chief of the municipality will be 18. Candidates from seven women, three Dalits, two persons with disabilities or minorities, and seven other groups will be elected from the election.

Five parties of the ruling coalition have fielded joint candidates in the National Assembly elections. Although the main opposition party UML has collaborated with the Democratic Socialist Party (LSP) in Madhes, it has fielded a single candidate in other states. The National Assembly election is seen as a battle between the ruling coalition and the opposition party UML.

The commission has stated that health criteria have been implemented for voting due to the epidemic. The commission has also requested all the voters to fulfill all the health standards implemented.