Pokhara, 9 March| In the final counting of the recent House of Representatives elections in Kavrepalanchok district, a staggering 35 out of 42 candidates have lost their election deposits. According to the legal provisions of the Election Commission, candidates who fail to secure at least ten percent of the total valid votes cast in their respective constituencies face forfeiture of their security deposits. The results reflect a significant polarization of votes, favoring a few major contenders while leaving a majority of independent and small-party candidates with negligible support. In Constituency No. 2, out of 24 candidates, only three managed to save their bail, highlighting a tough electoral environment for the others.
Data from Constituency No. 2 shows that out of 165,511 registered voters, 104,642 votes were cast. Among these, 99,580 were declared valid, while 5,062 votes were invalidated. Badan Bhandari of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) emerged victorious with a commanding 53,344 votes. His closest rivals, Madhu Prasad Acharya of the Nepali Congress with 17,868 votes and Ashok Byanju of the CPN-UML with 13,940 votes, were the only others to retain their security deposits. Other notable figures like Basundhara Humagain of the NCP, who received 8,107 votes, and Jyotsana Sainju of the Ujyalo Nepal Party with 3,749 votes, still failed to cross the required threshold. The performance of several independent candidates was particularly dismal, with some like Keshav Raj Timilsina receiving as few as 4 votes and Lenin Bista getting only 8 votes.
Similarly, in Constituency No. 1, the electoral outcome saw 14 out of 18 candidates losing their bail money. In this constituency, out of 161,100 voters, 91,101 participated in the polling, where 87,124 votes were valid and 4,977 were invalid. Madhu Kumar Chaulagain of the RSP secured victory by obtaining 29,698 votes. He was followed by Gunaraj Muktan of the Nepali Congress with 19,166 votes, Dinanath Gautam of the NCP with 14,184 votes, and Ami Tamang of the CPN-UML with 13,814 votes. These four candidates were the only ones to safeguard their deposits, whereas Yogendra Lama of the Ujyalo Nepal Party, despite securing a respectable 7,403 votes, fell short of the ten percent mark. Several candidates in this region even struggled to hit the double-digit mark, illustrating a complete lack of voter confidence in their agendas.
The cumulative data for both constituencies reveals that a total of 10,039 votes were disqualified, accounting for approximately 5 percent of the total turnout. The election also featured diverse candidates, including Binod Lama, a member of the sexual minority community, who received 50 votes. The overall results indicate a massive surge for the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the district, overshadowing veteran political entities. The massive forfeiture of deposits serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by independent aspirants in a landscape increasingly dominated by major political currents. While the high voter turnout suggests a vibrant democratic engagement, the large number of invalid votes and the poor performance of minor candidates suggest a need for better voter awareness and more grounded political campaigning.
