Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) prime ministerial candidate and former Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah casts a vote in the Nepal general elections, at a polling station in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (PTI Photo)
Nepal Election LIVE Updates: Shots were fired after the situation became tense at a polling station in Dolakha district, east of Kathmandu, officials told BBC. Following the assault of an election worker at Malu polling station, police fired the shots” Dolakha’s Assistant Chief District Officer Aulakh Bahadur Ale told BBC Nepali. “Voting was disrupted for a while after the situation became uncomfortable. Voting has now resumed,” Ale said.
Meanwhile, Nepal recorded a turnout of about six per cent till 9.30 am, according to the Election Commission, news agency PTI reported. Voting is ongoing smoothly across the country amid tight security in Nepal’s first general elections since youth-led violent protests forced the resignation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and triggered the dissolution of Parliament. Polling began at 7 am on Thursday, and will continue till 5 pm, with as many as 18.9 million voters expected to cast their ballots. The counting will start immediately after the ballot boxes are collected.
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Main contenders: The elections are being widely viewed as a contest between traditional political forces and a new generation of leaders advocating systemic reform. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), led by K P Sharma Oli, and the Nepali Communist Party led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ are being regarded as traditional forces. On the other side, the Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP), led by Ravi Lamichhane with senior leader Balendra Shah, and the reformed Nepali Congress under Gagan Thapa have publicly voiced support for the issues raised by the youth movement.
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