KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 20

Voters at urban centres said that they voted for new political parties and candidates as the dominant old political parties had only tried to secure better future for their own families and relatives rather than focusing on the development of their constituencies and the country.

Gauri Shankar Shrestha, 58, who voted from Bagh Bhairab temple polling booth said he voted for candidates of new political parties to see how they deliver on their poll pledges.

He said voting was smooth as he was able to cast ballot within a few minutes of entering the booth. Polling officer of the same polling centre Narayan Prasad Khanal said some voters appeared to be confused about which of the four ballot papers were for the HoR and which for the provincial assembly.

He said many voters started coming to polling centres only after 10:00am. 'Only 150 votes were cast before 10. Maybe many voters did not come early in the morning due to cold weather,' he added.

Maiya Dangol, 45, who cast her vote at a Teku polling centre, said old political parties helped develop road infrastructure in their locality but this time she voted for a new political party because she believed that the new party could accelerate the development efforts in their locality.

Menuka Tamrakar, who voted from the polling centre set up at Nepal Academy, in Kathmandu, said that she took into account the candidates' efficiency rather than blindly trusting any political party.

Rachana Mali, who also cast her vote at Nepal Academy polling centre, said she voted for a new political party as she wanted to see how the party could deliver on its poll pledge.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 21, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.