131 candidates for 12 seats in Karnali, one million voters

By Rajni Yogi,Surkhet, Feb. 5: A total of 131 candidates have filed their nominations for the 12 available seats across the 10 districts of Karnali Province. While Surkhet and Dailekh each contain two constituencies, the remaining eight districts consist of a single constituency each. According to the Provincial Election Commission in Surkhet, the province serves a total of 1,037,250 voters. This demographic is comprised of 593,061 female voters, 527,886 male voters, and three individuals registered under the ‘other’ category. Chief Election Officer Lal Bahadur Gurung noted that this election cycle features a particularly intense competition between veteran politicians and new challengers. To facilitate the voting process, 1,437 polling booths have been arranged across 941 polling stations throughout the province.

In Surkhet, 13 candidates are contesting in Constituency 1, while 17 have filed for Constituency 2. The district hosts a total of 248,943 voters, consisting of 127,054 women and 121,889 men. Specifically, Constituency 1 accounts for 122,902 of these voters, with a gender breakdown of 62,506 females and 60,396 males. Similarly, Dailekh sees 10 candidates running in Constituency 1 and 11 in Constituency 2. Out of the district’s 161,204 total voters, there are 80,105 women and 81,099 men. 

In Dailekh’s first constituency, the electorate is split between 49,877 females and 49,824 males, while the second constituency comprises 40,228 females and 41,275 males.

The upcoming elections on March 5 will see seven candidates vying for the single seat in Humla, where the electorate of 34,372 includes 16,351 women and 18,313 men. In Dolpa, nine candidates have entered the race to represent 24,115 voters, of whom 12,187 are female and 11,928 are male. Mugu also has seven candidates contesting this term, serving a total of 36,061 voters, with 17,233 females and 18,598 males registered. Meanwhile, Jumla and Kalikot have each seen 10 candidates file their nominations. Jumla’s 71,739 voters consist of 34,280 women and 37,459 men, while Kalikot’s 84,646 voters include 40,043 women and 44,603 men.

In Jajarkot, 11 candidates are competing for the votes of 107,091 citizens, a group made up of 50,384 women, 56,705 men, and two voters in the other category. Salyan has recorded 14 candidate nominations for its 162,449 voters, which includes 79,128 women and 83,321 men. 

Finally, Rukum West features 12 candidates contesting for the support of 106,660 voters. This electorate is comprised of 52,396 women and 54,263 men, along with one voter registered as other.