Kathmandu. As many as 51 political parties have secured votes below the threshold for representation in the House of Representatives.

A total of 57 political parties had taken part in the elections held on March 4 under the proportional representation system and 51 political parties have not crossed the minimum threshold of votes while six parties are likely to enter the parliament.

According to the Election Commission, the seats will be allocated only to the parties securing at least three percent of the total valid votes cast under the proportional representation system. Joint Spokesperson of the Election Commission, Kul Bahadur GC, said that there is a legal provision that the candidate representing the party will be elected to the House of Representatives in proportion to the total number of votes received by each party.

According to him, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RPP) is leading with 51,39,235 votes out of 107,39,115 votes counted. Likewise, the Nepali Congress has bagged 1,749,583 votes, the CPN-UML has bagged 1,404,854 votes, the CPN (Maoist Centre) has bagged 805,773 votes, the Shram Sanskriti Party has bagged 378,649 votes and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has bagged 329,472 votes. He said that other parties have not been able to cross the threshold.

Among the parties that did not exceed the minimum vote limit, Janamat Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal has 174,317, Rastriya Pariwartan Party Nepal has 171,501, Janamat Party has 79,000, Single Mark Chakia (millstone), Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal, Janata Samajbadi Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal has 61,677, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party has 42,246 and Rastra Nirman Dal Nepal has 38,933. According to the Joint Spokesperson GC, the Rastriya Janamorcha has obtained 29,442 votes, Nepal Sanghiya Samajbadi Party, Bahujan Ekta Party Nepal, Nepal Janata Protection Party 28,178, Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party 24,617, Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) 23,851, Mongol National Organization 20,806 and One-mark Mobile Mobile (Aam Janata Party, Janadesh Party Nepal) 13,445.

Similarly, Rastriya Mukti Andolan Nepal has registered 10,695 followers, Samyukta Nagarik Party 980, Swabhiman Party 8,132, Rastriya Janamukti Party 7,207, Nepal Janata Party 7,153, Rastriya Ekta Dal 7,050, Nepal Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) 6,162, Rastriya Gaurav Party 5,241 and National Republic Nepal 5,157. Likewise, Nepal Communist Party (Marxist) has bagged 4,823 votes, Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch 4,668, Nepal Communist Party (United) 4,508, Rastriya Urja Party Nepal 4,312, Socialist Party Nepal 4,248 and Dynamic Democratic Party 4,248.

Nepal Loktantrik Party got 4,100 votes, Nepal Matribhumi Party 2,972, Rastriya Janata Party Nepal 2,925, Bahujan Shakti Party Nepal 2,266, Nepal Janamukti Party 2,162, Janaadhikar Party 2,105 and Nepal Sadbhawana Party 2,015.

Among the votes polled are People First Party, Nepali Congress (BP), Nagarik Shakti Nepal, Nepal Jana Shramdan Culture Party, Nepali Janata Dal, Inclusive Socialist Party, Janata Loktantrik Party Nepal, Sachet Nepali Party, Citizen Supremacy Party Nepal and Janapriya Loktantrik Party.

In any election under the first-past-the-post electoral system, the deposit of the candidate who receives less than ten percent of the total valid votes cast in the election is forfeited. This does not apply to the elected candidates, the EC said. According to EC Joint Spokesperson GC, if any party fails to secure at least one seat in the election under the proportional representation system, the deposit deposited by such party will be forfeited.

According to him, only those parties securing at least three per cent of the votes under the proportional representation system and one seat under the first-past-the-post electoral system in the election to the House of Representatives will be recognized as a national party as per the Political Parties Act, 2073.