Kathmandu — A total of 2,890 candidates who contested in Nepal’s House of Representatives election held on February 21 under the first-past-the-post electoral system have lost their security deposits after failing to secure the required number of votes, according to the Election Commission of Nepal.
Election Commission Information Officer Suman Ghimire said candidates contesting elections are required by law to deposit a fixed amount of money as a security deposit when filing their candidacy. The deposit is returned only if a candidate receives more than 10 percent of the total valid votes cast in their constituency.
Ghimire explained that candidates who receive less than 10 percent of the valid votes are not eligible to have their deposit returned. In such cases, the deposit is forfeited to the state treasury, as required by election law.
350 Candidates Received Zero Votes
Among the 2,890 candidates whose deposits were forfeited, 350 candidates did not receive a single vote, according to the Election Commission.
Their official vote count was recorded as zero, indicating that some candidates were unable to secure even their own vote or those of their immediate supporters.
Out of all candidates who contested under the first-past-the-post system, only 516 candidates managed to obtain more than 10 percent of the total valid votes, allowing them to retain their deposits.
Procedure for Deposit Refund
Candidates who succeeded in retaining their deposits must submit a formal application to the Election Commission to claim the refund.
The commission said eligible candidates must apply within 90 days after the final election results are officially announced. After completing the required legal process, the deposit amount will be returned.
The Election Commission stated that although many candidates contested under the direct election system, a large number failed to secure sufficient votes, resulting in thousands of deposit forfeitures in the February 21 parliamentary election.
