Kathmandu: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has been elected with a huge margin of votes from Dadeldhura constituency in far west Nepal for the seventh consecutive time.
Deuba, 77, secured 25,534 votes against his nearest rival Sagar Dhakal, 31, an independent candidate who received 1,302 votes. Deuba has never lost any parliamentary election in his five decades of political career.
Dhakal is a young engineer, who had a verbal squabble with Deuba during a public debate at a BBC's Sajha Sawal programme five years ago, after which he decided to challenge Deuba saying that now youths should get chance in politics and senior people like Deuba should get rest.
Nepali Congress president Deuba is currently holding the post of Prime Minister for the fifth term.
The ruling Nepali Congress has so far bagged 10 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR) while it is leading in 46 other constituencies.
The CPN-UML led by K P Oli has so far bagged three seats and is leading in 42 constituencies.
Elections to the HoR and seven provincial assemblies were held on Sunday. The counting of votes started on Monday.
Out of 275 Members of Parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. Similarly, out of a total of 550 members of the provincial assemblies, 330 will be elected directly and 220 will be elected through the proportional method.
PM Deuba thanked all for a peaceful elections
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has thanked the Nepalese people for their dedication to democracy and enabling the conduct of the parliamentary and provincial elections in a peaceful, fearless and impartial way.
The Election Commission has said that around 61 per cent voters cast their votes in the parliamentary and provincial elections held across Nepal on Sunday.
Acknowledging that all Nepali people have been fulfilling their responsibility for strengthening democracy and safeguarding the constitution, Deuba said in a statement that having exercised their right to vote in the elections, people had once again reflected their devotion and dedication to democracy.
Deuba, also the President of the ruling Nepali Congress, thanked the people for their contributions to concluding the parliamentary and provincial elections in a peaceful, fearless, impartial and encouraging way, the Himalayan Times reported.
In election-related violence, one person was killed while elections were postponed at 15 polling booths in four districts -- Surkhet, Gulmi, Nawalparasi (East), and Bajura -- due to clashes between rival parties' cadres.
Saying that periodic elections were mandatory in democracy, he expressed the hope that the poll results would help build an equitable society based on democratic culture while making the country self-sufficient and prosperous.
He also thanked the Election Commission, employees and security forces deployed for the polls, election observers national and international, political parties and journalists for their contributions.
The government and political parties have got additional inspiration and encouragement with the active and encouraging participation of voters in the polls, he said.
More than 17.9 million voters were eligible to cast their votes to elect a 275-member House of Representatives and provincial assemblies.