The Nepali Congress on Sunday emerged as the leading party in polls to elect an assembly that will draft Nepal’s new Constitution, securing a 14-seat lead over CPN-UML while Prachanda-led Maoists were a distant third. With results of 239 out of 240 seats under the direct voting system announced, the Nepali Congress led by Sushil Koirala bagged 105 seats followed by CPN-UML, headed by Jhalanath Khanal, which grabbed 91 seats. UCPN-Maoist got third position with 25 seats and the remaining 18 seats went to Madhesi and fringe parties.
CPN-UML was leading in the proportionate voting system, securing 207,000 votes followed by Nepali Congress which so far got 189,000 votes. UCPN-Maoist secured 118,000 votes. Chandra Mohan Yadav, son of President Ram Baran Yadav, has won election as a Nepali Congress candidate. Prachanda’s daughter Renu Dahal lost in the Kathmandu 1 constituency.