Nepal

Within the ruling alliance, incumbent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal are the front runners for the post of prime minister. The ruling alliance has just two votes less to form the government. The magic number to form the government is 138 out of the 275 House of Representatives.

During a meeting between Deuba and Prachanda on Saturday, according to the people familiar with the developments, Prachanda has claimed to lead the next government and sought assistance from Deuba. But Nepali Congress leaders are saying that their party will lead the new government.

The exercise, which will focus on counter-terrorism, martial arts, humanitarian aid, natural disasters, environmental protection, will take place at the Integrated Military Training Centre in Saljhandi, Rupandehi district. According to the Nepal Army, the Surya Kiranis a 14-day long joint training based on counter-insurgency operations in the jungle and mountainous terrain.

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya held a press conference on Wednesday to inform about the decision. After submitting the report to the president, the names of the elected MPs will be published in the Nepal Gazette, he said. The commission made public the results of the elections held under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) categories.

The update revealed that the CPN-UML secured 44 seats followed by CPN (Maoist Centre) with 18. Nepali Congress had contested 91 out of the 165 seats under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) due to the alliance with other parties. Similarly, the ruling party has secured the second position under the proportional vote count after the UML.

Counting of votes in three election constituencies is yet to begin due to dispute while vote counting in remaining seven constituencies are underway, according to the Election Commission of Nepal. This is the second federal and provincial elections in Nepal after the promulgation of the constitution in 2015, September. According to the Election Commission, the results of the vote counting of 155 out of the 165 electoral constituencies under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) category have been announced by Sunday morning.

"The RSP can become a kingmaker in the upcoming power equation if it makes significant electoral gains in the final vote tally. But it would be too early to say that because the vote counting is still underway," Jhalak Subedi, a Kathmandu-based author and political analyst, told India Narrative.

The elections for the members of the federal Parliament and provincial Assemblies concluded at 5 p.m. Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapaliya said that total turnout of Sunday's election was 61 per cent. "We are hoping this is a preliminary data... this percentage could climb slightly," Thapaliya said at press conference after completion of the elections. "The commission is also surprised to see lower voting turnout.

"We have prepared all necessary preparations in order to hold the elections in a free, fair and transparent manner," Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapaliya said. The new government will be formed at the centre and in all seven provinces. Some high-profile appointments like that of a President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker will be made following the results.

Stage is set for the Federal and Provincial elections to elect 275 members of the Federal Parliament and 550 seats of the seven Provincial Assemblies in Nepal. Rajiv Kumar will be leading a delegation of ECI officials as state guests in the neighbouring nation from November 18 to November 22. During his visit, Kumar would be visiting Polling stations at Kathmandu and areas around.