KATHMANDU, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Nepali women clad in saris and men in jeans and baseball caps were standing in long queues on Sunday as voting started in a general election that few expect to bring drastic change – or a government able to quickly revive the economy.
“I voted for economic development, ensuring jobs, food, clothes, education and health services,” Rajesh Kumar Subedi, a 52-year-old employee who was the first to vote at Phaimlamchuli voting centre, a Kathmandu suburb, told Reuters.
The election pits the ruling alliance of the Nepali Congress party, led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and some former Maoist rebels, against the Nepal Communist Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) party.
There are no pre-election polls, but political analysts expect the ruling alliance to retain power.
Polls close at 5 p.m. (1115 GMT), the Election Commission said. It could take up to two weeks to declare final results.
“We need political…
