New Delhi keenly awaits Nepal elections' outcome

All eyes are on the ruling Nepali Congress-Prachanda alliance as new political forces take on traditional political parties in the Nepal elections on Sunday.

India will keep a close watch on the outcome of the polls following upswing in ties since Sher Bahadur Deuba's return to power. Cross-border power cooperation has been the hallmark of ties in recent years.

A total of 2,412 candidates - 2,187 men and 225 women - are contesting for 165 of the 275 seats in the House of Representatives under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system. The remaining 110 will be elected through proportional representation.


Similarly, 3,224 candidates - 1,943 men, 280 women and one candidate who identifies as the other gender - are hoping to become one of the 330 provincial assembly members under the FPTP system and another 220 through proportional representation.

Many independent candidates and newly formed parties have emerged, breaking the hegemony of key political parties. Many new and popular faces, therefore, are contesting the elections either independently or by forming a new political party.

Interestingly, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) chief and former PM KP Oli went to a popular nightclub in Kathmandu to release his campaign song which was performed as a rap piece. Earlier this month, top Maoist leader and another former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" also released a rap song for the polls.