Kathmandu, November 2 Political parties’ and independent candidates of 45 districts today filed nomination papers for provincial and parliamentary first-past-the-post elections at the offices of chief returning officers and returning officers. Candidates of all three major parties — the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre — reached the offices of chief returning officers and returning officers with their party leaders and supporters to file papers. The poll panel said 4,708 candidates filed their nomination papers for FPTP elections scheduled for December 7. Of the total candidates 1,742 filed for parliamentary FPTP seats and 2,966 filed for provincial FPTP seats. The EC stated that 126 women filed their nomination for parliamentary FPTP elections and 209 for provincial seats. The EC stated that the number of candidates could increase, as final data from several constituencies had yet to be received. Addressing mediapersons at the EC’s media centre, Election Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Shah said the process of filing nomination, which began at 10:00am and continued till 5:00pm, was completed peacefully and enthusiastically in all 45 districts. The EC stated that candidates could withdraw their candidacies from 10:00am to 1:00pm on November 5. The poll panel will publish final names of candidates from 1:00pm to 3:00pm the same day. The EC will provide election symbols to candidates from 3:00pm to 6:00pm on November 5. The poll panel said the candidates had to obey the election code of conduct after filing their nominations. The EC said voting would start at 7:00am and continue till 5:00pm on December 7. The 45 districts, where the second phase of provincial and parliamentary elections will be held on December 7 are: Ilam, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Udayapur, Jhapa, Morang, and Sunsari districts of Province 1;   Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Bara, Parsa and Rautahat districts of Province 2; Sindhuli, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Kavrepalanchowk, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts of Province 3; Tanahun, Kaski, Syangja, Parbat, and Nawalparasi (east of Bardaghat Susta) districts of Province 4; Palpa, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Pyuthan, Banke, Bardiya, Nawalparasi (west of Bardaghat Susta) districts of Province 5; Salyan, Surkhet and Dailekh districts of Province 6; and Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura, Achham and Doti districts of Province 7. There are 12,198,852 eligible voters in 45 districts. Prominent contestants

• Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba filed his papers for parliamentary FPTP seat from Dadeldhura-1 through his attorney. Dadeldhura-1 is his home constituency
• CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli filed his papers from Jhapa-5, his home constituency. He reached the  office of the chief returning officer, Jhapa, with leaders and supporters of the left alliance
• CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal filed his papers from Chitwan-3. Chitwan -3 is Dahal’s home constituency. Dahal reached the office of chief returning officer, Chitwan, with other candidates of the left alliance
• Former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal filed nomination from Kathmandu-2. He was accompanied by other candidates from the left alliance at the City Hall in Kathmandu
• Former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal filed nomination from Ilam-1
• Former speaker Subas Chandra Nembang filed his nomination papers from Ilam-2
• NC’s Ramchandra Paudel filed his nomination from Tanahun-1
• Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chair Kamal Thapa filed his nomination from Makawanpur-1
• Bibeksheel Sajha Party Coordinator Rabindra Mishra filed his nomination from Kathmandu-1
• Federal Socialist Forum–Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav filed his nomination from Saptari-2
• The Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal’s Coordinator Mahantha Thakur filed his nomination from Mahottari-3.
• Other RJP-N presidium members — Rajendra Mahatto, Mahendra Raya Yadav and Sharat Singh Bhandari — filed their papers from Dhanusha-3, Sarlahi-2 and Mahottari-2, respectively