Nepal's First General Election — Nepali Congress Wins Landslide

What happened

In 1959, Nepalis voted for the first time ever to choose their government. Even though most people couldn't read, they came out to vote. The Nepali Congress party won by a huge margin and B.P. Koirala became the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal. But King Mahendra didn't like the result and shut down the whole experiment after 18 months.

Full Verified Record

Nepal held its first-ever general election in February–April 1959 under the new 1959 Constitution. Turnout was approximately 42% of eligible voters — remarkable given Nepal's illiteracy rate of over 90% and mountainous terrain. The Nepali Congress won 74 of 109 seats in the Pratinidhi Sabha (lower house). The Communist Party of Nepal won 4 seats; other parties split the remainder. B.P. Koirala became Prime Minister — the first democratically elected PM in Nepal's history. His government lasted only 18 months before King Mahendra dismissed it and arrested Koirala.

फेब्रुअरी–अप्रिल १९५९ मा नेपालको इतिहासमा पहिलोपटक आम निर्वाचन भयो। नेपाली काँग्रेसले १०९ मध्ये ७४ सिट जित्यो र बी.पी. कोइरालाले प्रधानमन्त्री पद सम्हाले।

Why it mattered

Nepal's first election proved that universal suffrage was possible even in a mostly illiterate, mountainous country. B.P. Koirala's government began significant reforms — land reform, expanded education. Its abrupt end by King Mahendra became the defining trauma of Nepali democratic politics for 30 years.