Will UML overtake NC, that obtained popular votes in local elections?

KATHMANDU: In the House of Representatives, 60% of MPs are elected directly, while 40% are elected through a proportional electoral system.

Proportional seats obtained through organizational strength and popular vote have become an important basis for determining party ranking in parliament.

As a result, the big parties are campaigning with the goal of increasing votes for proportionality, while small and new parties are attempting to gain proportional seats by lowering the threshold.

According to the results of the local elections held last Baisakh (April/May), 6 parties have a chance of cutting the threshold proportionally. At the local level, the NC, UML, Maoist, JSP, CPN (Unified Socialists), and RPP received three percent of the vote. RPP did not receive three percent of the vote in the previous election. The LSP, which became a national party in the previous election, received less than three percent of the vote in the most recent local election. LSP received 2.12 votes for ward chairperson, which equals two lakh 44 thousand eight hundred and eighty two votes.

In the last local elections, NC got the highest number of 34.28 percent i.e. 39 lakh 56 thousand one hundred and 93 votes for the ward chairperson. The UML, which came in second place, got 33.03 percent i.e. 38 lakh 11 thousand 602 votes, the Maoists who came in third place got 13.03 percent i.e. 15 lakh three thousand two hundred and 47 votes. Similarly, the JSP got 5 percent i.e. 577 thousand 380 votes, the CPN (Unified Socialists) got 3.66 percent i.e. 422 thousand 737 votes and the RPP got 3.16 percent i.e. 364 thousand 160 votes.

On the direct side, separate alliances of ruling and opposition parties are competing in the elections. They estimated the proportional votes that their party could receive based on the 074 proportional votes and the votes received by the ward chairpersons in the last Baisakh (April/May) local elections.

Lower committees have been formed by the NC, Maoists, and United Socialists to draw proportional votes in areas where there are no direct candidates due to alliances. UML has not activated a separate proportionality mechanism.