(Eds: Repeating with minor edits)By Shirish B PradhanKathmandu, Dec 8 (PTI) The Left alliance has won threeparliamentary seats for which votes were cast in the firstphase of Nepal's parliamentary and provincial assemblyelections, officials said today.
The opposition CPN-UML won two seats while the candidateof its ally CPN-Maoist Centre defeated its main rival NepaliCongress (NC) nominee.
CPN-UML candidate from Manang district in North-WestNepal Polden Chhopang Gurung won the election by defeating hisnearest rival Tek Bahadur Gurung of the Nepali Congress,officials said.
CPN-UML candidate Prem Prasad Tulachan was declaredvictorious from mountainous Mustang district, trouncing hisNepali Congress rival Romi Gauchan, they said.
Kamala Rokka of the CPN-Maoist Centre won the electionfrom Rukum district in western Nepal, defeating his nearestrival Hari Shanker Garti of the NC.
A total of 1,663 candidates contested for parliamentaryseats while 2,819 were in the fray for the provincial assemblyseats in the historic elections that many hope will bring themuch-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation.
The polls will elect 128 members of parliament and 256members of provincial assemblies.
The house of representatives consists of 275 members, ofwhich 165 would be elected directly under the first-past-the-post system while the remaining 110 will come through theproportional representation system.
Voting on the parliamentary and provincial assembly seatsof 32 districts, mostly situated in the hilly and mountainousregion, were held on November 26 in the first phase of theelections, in which 65 per cent of voters had exercised theirfranchise.
The Left alliance is leading in most of the seats whereelections were held in the first phase, officials added.
The counting of votes for parliamentary and assemblyseats in 45 districts where polling was held yesterday isexpected to take place today. In this phase, 67 per cent voterturnout was registered. PTI SBP SMJ AKJKUN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.