Voting Begins to Fill 17 Vacant National Assembly Seats

Voting has officially commenced to fill vacant positions in Nepal’s National Assembly, with polling underway today for 17 unoccupied seats. The vacancies arose after the completion of the previous members’ terms on 20 Falgun 2082 (March 4, 2026).

According to the Election Commission (EC), voting began at 9:00 AM and will continue until 3:00 PM. EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai confirmed that polling is being conducted simultaneously at designated polling stations in the capitals of all seven provinces.

Out of the total 18 vacant seats, one seat under the Khas Arya category in Koshi Province has already been filled uncontested. Sunil Bahadur Thapa of the Nepali Congress was elected unopposed for the position. As a result, today’s voting is focused on the remaining 17 seats.

The Election Commission has stated that eligible voters in the National Assembly elections include members of the provincial assemblies, mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities, as well as chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of rural municipalities. These representatives form the electoral college responsible for selecting National Assembly members.

Under the voting system, provincial assembly members carry a voting weight of 53, while local level chiefs and deputy chiefs have a voting weight of 19. This weighted voting mechanism is designed to ensure proportional representation of both provincial and local governments in the upper house of Parliament.

Throughout the morning, voters have been actively participating in the election process, casting their ballots at the assigned polling centres. The Election Commission has reported that voting is proceeding smoothly and in an orderly manner.

The results of the election are expected to play a key role in shaping the composition of the National Assembly, which serves as the upper house of the Federal Parliament and holds an important role in lawmaking and national governance.