There will be 51 seats contested in the 2018 General Elections.
Electoral Commission chair Suresh Chandra says the decision to increase the composition of Parliament by one seat is based on recent population data and registered voter figures.
Chand says according to recent figures from the Bureau of Statistics, the national population has grown by twelve thousand eight hundred and eight people since 2014 and in order to keep a fair representation in Parliament, an additional seat is required.
“Similarly national register of voters containing the name of 519 1101 citizens in 2014 for a ratio of one seat for every 11 822 registered voters , the number of registered voters has increased to 603 546 as at 1st March, 2017 so we would need one more seat to maintain that particular ratio in the next election."
The chair adds that under section 54 of the 2013 constitution, the commission has powers to alter the number of seats in parliament as they see fit.
