Nepal Elections: India and China watch closely as Nepal votes today

New Delhi: Voting for the twin elections in Nepal began Sunday at 7 am. The polls are being held in a single phase. 

17.9 million Voters will elect 275 members of the house of representatives for both parliamentary and provincial assemblies.

One hundred sixty-five members will be elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting, and the remaining 110 members will be elected from a single nationwide constituency. Voters are receiving separate ballot papers for the two methods.

It will be the 11th government since 2008 amid political instability. The future of the democratic experiment itself seems to be at stake. There is widespread anger and despair among voters. New Delhi, which has vital stakes in the country, keeps its cards close, waiting and watching.

Voting started simultaneously in all seven provinces across Nepal. A total of 84 political parties are participating in the Elections.

The Nepal Election commission has invited international observers. Chief Election Commissioners from India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives are participating in the election process as international observers. 

Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar is leading a delegation of 4-member ECI officials as state guests in Nepal till November 22. During his visit, Kumar is visiting Polling stations in Kathmandu and areas around.

Nepal's Election Commission has announced several measures to ensure the elections are conducted without unwanted incidents. For this purpose, more than Three lakh security force persons are deployed on duty. 

The Indo-Nepal border remains closed from midnight of November 17 for 72 hours. Air vigilance through drones and setting up three-tier security at polling stations are being maintained. 

The counting of votes will begin from 9 pm on Sunday amid tight security and the results of the elections are expected to be out by December 8.

Being early winter, the Himalayan country faces the challenge of inhospitable terrain and rough weather in several hilly polling booths. Himali Community School in Mustang district, near the border with China, has witnessed heavy snow where the polling station has 35 votes. Nepal's mountainous terrain covers 15 per cent of the total area, mainly comprised of mountains and hills, much of which is at altitudes of over 3,000 meters over sea level, that are difficult to access.

India gifted 800 vehicles to Nepal for use during the elections as a gift of India for logistical support to various Nepali institutions for the conduct of elections.

Nepal Elections 2022

The fight is mainly between the Nepali Congress party and the Communist Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML). The Nepali Congress currently leads a four-party ruling coalition and has been in power for most of the time.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who leads the Nepali Congress party, has allied with the Maoist Centre party, the leading group of former Maoist rebels. Deuba, 76, is seeking to return to power for the sixth time. His Nepali Congress party is considered the closest to India.

Former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, the Communist Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) leader, is in a loose alliance with a royalist group. Oli, known for his pro-Beijing stance during previous terms, is the favourite for the prime minister if his coalition wins.

Oli has been prime minister twice before. Recently in his pre-election public speeches, he is raising the issue of the Indian dispute on borders that suits China.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, 67, another top leader of The Maoist Centre political party could emerge as a kingmaker in the case of a hung parliament.

Despite being a democracy, Landlocked Nepal continues to be sandwiched between India and China. Since the beginning of democracy in Nepal, China has extended its tentacles into the development and economy of Nepal. 

China took maximum advantage of India's boycotting trade with Nepal a decade ago, which gave China considerable advantage to begin several major joint projects like transportation, cross-border railways, highways, hydroelectricity and health infrastructure in Nepal.

For China, Nepal remains essential for its Belt and Road initiative (BRI) projects and China's South Asia strategy. After Chinese President Xi Jinping won his third term late last month, it became more critical for China to hold Nepal and introduce BRI projects to keep India on its toes.