Kathmandu, Dec. 31 — The Election Commission (EC) has begun reviewing the closed lists submitted by political parties for the proportional representation (PR) system ahead of the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.
According to EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, 64 political parties have submitted their PR closed lists, fielding a total of 4,424 candidates under 58 election symbols. The deadline for submission was December 28–29, with most parties filing their lists late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
The EC stated that 22 parties, including Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Nepal Communist Party and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), have submitted full lists covering all PR seats. Other parties registered between 10 and 110 candidates. Six parties submitted the minimum required 11 candidates under PR guidelines.
The Nepal Workers and Peasants Party was the first to submit its list, while Nepali Congress was the last. Although some parties missed the initial deadline, including Nepali Congress, they submitted their lists on Tuesday morning.
Of the 64 parties, 54 are contesting under their own election symbols, while 10 parties will share four common symbols. Aam Janata Party and Janadesh Party will use the ‘mobile’ symbol; Sachet Nepali Party and Nagarik Sarbochhata Party Nepal will contest under ‘lion’; Rastriya Mukti Party, Janata Samajwadi Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal under ‘janto’ (stone grinder); and Nepal Sanghiya Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Ekata Party and Nepal Janajagrit Party Nepal under the ‘bus’ symbol.
The EC has launched an investigation into the submitted lists, which will continue from December 30 to January 4. During this period, the Commission will notify parties of any discrepancies and request necessary corrections.
Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party has submitted a closed list of 110 PR candidates, featuring celebrities, filmmakers, YouTubers and prominent figures from various fields. Following mergers involving Bibeksheel Party, Ujyalo Nepal Party and allies linked to Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, the RSP incorporated candidates from these groups.
Notable names on the RSP list include singer Prakash Saput, film producer Asif Shah, cricketer Gyanendra Malla, actress Rima Bishwakarma, Dr. Abhishek Raj Singh and former National Human Rights Commission member Mohana Ansari, among others.
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