CDC creates 495 constituencies

Kathmandu, August 30

The Constituency Delimitation Commission today submitted its report to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba carving out 165 first-past-the-post electoral districts for the House of Representatives and 330 FPTP constituencies for provinces.

According to the summary of the report, the CDC delineated constituencies, giving 90 per cent weightage to population and 10 per cent to geography.

As per the report, Province 2 has the most number (32) of parliamentary FPTP constituencies, while Province 6 has the least (12).

Kathmandu district has the highest number (10) of FPTP parliamentary seats, while Morang has six FPTP parliamentary seats and Jhapa, Rupandehi and Kailali have five each. A total of 165 of 275 members of the House of Representatives, will be elected on the basis of first-past-the-post system, while the rest will be elected on the basis of proportional representation.

A total of 56 of 59 members of the National Assembly, the Upper House of the Parliament,   are elected on the basis of Electoral College that consists of members of legislative assemblies and chiefs and deputy chiefs of local levels.

Sixty per cent members of legislative assemblies (whose number can vary) are elected on the basis of FPTP elections and 40 per cent on the basis of proportional representation.

Chair of CDC Kamal Narayan Das told mediapersons after submitting the report to the prime minister at Baluwatar that CDC office bearers took unanimous decision to prepare the report.

Asked if there was rift within the CDC, Das said there were differences of opinion among them but that did not prevent them from taking decisions unanimously.

Asked if he faced any pressure from any political leaders to delineate electoral districts in a particular manner, Das said it would not be right to comment on that.

On August 13, the government had extended the CDC’s term till August 30.

CDC report will come into force once it is published in Nepal Gazette. As per constitutional provisions, CDC report is final when it is submitted to the government. CDC report cannot be challenged in a court.

The electoral districts will not change for 20 years.