Nepal Election 2026 Live Updates: Polling Continues Nationwide As Country Holds First Election Since Gen Z Uprising

Hundreds of thousands of people have left Nepal’s cities to return to their home villages to vote and reunite with family. The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division said around 800,000 people had exited the Kathmandu Valley by Wednesday morning, the Kathmandu Post reported.

“More people are expected to head back to their home districts for the elections,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Jung Shah. “Seeing so many people return home with their families feels like a major festival.”

Officials noted that such a mass movement is usually seen only during Dashain, the country’s biggest festival.

A voter in Nepal said, “We want a good candidate to win, we support our young generation… The main issue in Nepal is political instability and we want stability and the issue of corruption to be resolved.”

Another voter said, “I hope that whoever wins, plays a significant role in the development of Nepal and enhancing the life situations of every citizen,” news agency ANI reported.

Popularly known as Balen Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu, has emerged as a youth icon after widespread anti-corruption protests last September that targeted the administration of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli.

Shah is contesting from the Jhapa-5 constituency in eastern Nepal, where he is directly challenging Oli, who was forced from office following the deadly youth-led unrest. At 35, Shah is among the most high-profile candidates in this election and is widely seen as a potential contender for the prime minister’s post.

Former mayor and rapper Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, cast his vote at the Annapurna Vinayak School polling centre during Nepal’s 2026 general election.

The Election Commission of Nepal has ordered a ban on the movement of all public and private vehicles from midnight on March 4 until the conclusion of voting on March 5 as part of heightened security arrangements for the parliamentary elections, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said the restriction was imposed following a decision by the high-level election security committee formed under Section 3 of the Election Security (Management) Directive, 2021, to ensure peaceful and orderly polling for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5.

Voting in Nepal will end at 5:00 pm on Thursday. However, counting ballots under the proportional representation system is likely to take more time, which means the final results may not be declared immediately.

Analysts believe the election is unlikely to deliver a clear majority for any single party. While full results could take several days to be announced, the process may stretch even longer if post-election negotiations to form a coalition government prove complex.

Polling began on Thursday in Nepal for the country’s general elections, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests brought down the government, according to AFP.

Nearly 19 million voters are casting their ballots to decide who will replace the interim administration that has been in power since the September 2025 uprising. Voting is scheduled to conclude at 5:00 pm.