Voters Indifferent To Poll

Held for the second time since Nepal adopted the new constitution in 2015, the November 20 general elections went off peacefully. Except for a few isolated incidents of disruption and violence, people voted in all 77 districts freely. However, the election did not draw the number of voters that our political parties, poll candidates, and leaders, as well as the Election Commission, had anticipated. In contrast to the Commission's prediction that around 90 per cent of voters would vote, only about 61 per cent of them showed up at polling stations, the lowest turnout since 1992, when the country held its first general election following the restoration of democracy. Only 10.09 million of 10.8 million eligible voters cast ballots on Sunday. In this year's local election in May, 70 per cent of voters cast their ballots.