Kathmandu:Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress-led ruling coalition on Saturday maintained its lead in Nepal's parliamentary elections, winning 77 seats out of the 148 declared. In the 275-member House of Representatives, 165 seats will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system.
A party or a coalition needs 138 seats to win a clear majority in the House. The Nepali Congress (NC) has won 48 seats alone under the direct voting system. Its allies -- CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist have won 16 and 10 seats. The Lokatantrik Samajwadi and Rastriya Janamorcha have bagged two and one seats respectively. They all are part of the ruling alliance.