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The Nepali Congress emerged as the largest party in Sunday’s National Assembly elections, winning nine seats. It was followed by the CPN-UML with eight seats, while the Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party secured one seat.The polls were held for vacant positions in Nepal’s Upper House after the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML reached a pre-poll understanding ahead of the voting.According to the Election Commission (EC), voting took place peacefully across the country from 9 am to 3 pm (local time), with a turnout of 95.68 per cent.EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said that the elections were conducted for 17 of the 18 vacant seats, as one candidate was elected uncontested.With the latest results, the Nepali Congress now holds 25 seats in the 59-member National Assembly, making it the largest party in the Upper House. The Nepali Communist Party is the second largest with 18 seats, while the CPN-UML’s strength has increased to 11 seats following Sunday’s vote.One-third of the National Assembly seats fall vacant every two years. Of the total 59 seats, 56 are elected, eight each from Nepal’s seven provinces, while the remaining three members are nominated by the President.Eligible voters in the National Assembly elections include members of provincial assemblies, mayors, deputy mayors and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of rural municipalities, with votes carrying different weightage.
