Nepali Congress emerging as the single largest party in polls

KATHMANDU: Election results showed the ruling Nepali Congress party was leading on on Wednesday and could emerge as the single largest group, said analysts who expect a hung parliament to give new political parties a decisive role in forming the government.

About 61% of roughly 18 million Nepalis voted in Sunday’s elections for the 275 members of the Himalayan nation’s parliament, where 165 seats will be decided on a first-past-the-post basis and the rest by proportional representation.

The Nepali Congress of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has won 13 of 22 results declared, with three each going to the main opposition Nepal Communist Unified Marxistleninist (UML) party and the newly formed National Independent Party (NIP).

Deuba’s party, which contested 91 seats, was leading in 42 races, while its main rival UML, contesting 141 seats, was ahead in 43 and the NIP in five of the 135 constituencies where votes were being counted.