Local level elections have started across the country in a single phase on Friday.

Voting started at 7 am today for the second time after the implementation of federalism in the country.

At least 36, 059, 299 new  voters are casting their votes this time.

There are six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities, 460 rural municipalities and 6, 743 wards in the country.

Among these local bodies, elections are being held for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor in metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities and municipalities and chairperson, vice-chairperson in rural municipalities and ward chairperson and members in wards.

According to the Election Commission, the total number of voters who have completed 18 years of age till May 12 is 17, 733, 723.

Of them 8, 992, 010 are males, 8, 741, 530 are females and 183 have been registered under the 'others' category.

Similarly, the Commission said that it has set up 10, 756 polling stations and 21, 955 voting booths across the country.

As many as 35, 221 representatives will be elected for 753 local units.

Of the total candidates, 95, 253 are men and 57, 967 are female.

The main opposition CPN-UML has 33, 503 candidates, Nepali Congress has 31, 425 and CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) have 22, 279 and 11, 330 candidates respectively.

Likewise, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal has 9, 481 candidates and Democratic Socialist Party has 4, 761.

Similarly, 12, 789 persons have filed independent candidacies.