Kathmandu empties as about 800,000 Nepalis head home to vote

Some 800,000 Nepalis have left the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal's most populated region, for their hometowns over the past week to vote in tomorrow's election, authorities say.

About a tenth of Nepal's 30 million population live in the Kathmandu Valley for work or school. More than 80% of the Himalayan nation's land area is marked by mountainous terrain.

Nepal's law requires citizens to cast their ballots in their registered consituency, often the place where they were born. Nepalis living abroad are not allowed to vote.

Photos show crowds gathering on highways lined with jeeps, minibuses and vans in the capital city, while traffic authorities have reported hours-long jams over the weekend.

This election will be the first the country has held since deadly youth-led anti-corruption protests toppled the government in September 2025.

Saroj Chapagain is among those who have made long journeys from Kathmandu to vote.

"I have come home to cast my ballot in order to safeguard the constitution and the system," said the 38-year-old, who spent 14 hours on a public bus to get to his hometown in Bardiya district.

"My one vote may not be decisive on who wins or who loses but it can play crucial role in safeguarding the constitution. I think my participation in [this] election will hold a special meaning," Chapagain told BBC Nepali.

However other Nepalis are not as enthusiastic. Ophthalmologist Rabindra Singh Thakuri says he and his friends would not wanted a parliament "dominated by new faces".

"All of my friends support the traditional political parties... [a government dominated by newcomers] will not provide the country with any meaningful way forward," he told The Kathmandu Post.

Some 19 million people, including almost a million first-time voters, will go to the polls tomorrow to elect 275 members of parliament. About 165 of them will be elected through first-past-the-post voting while the rest will be selected via proportional representation.

Nearly a third of the 3,400 candidates are under the age of 40.

Nepal's election commission has suspended all public and private transport services, apart from those providing essential services, from Wednesday until polling ends on Thursday. Flights will continue.

The country has also declared Wednesday, Thursday and Friday public holidays for the election as well as the Fagu festival of colours, known also as Holi, celebrated by South Asian communities worldwide.

One of the most closely watched contests will be in Jhapa-5, a constituency that has traditionally been a stronghold of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Oli, who was forced to step down after last year's protests, is hoping to retain the seat and is up against ex-rapper Balendra Shah, whose first rose to fame for his provocative songs that criticised the ruling elite.