KATHMANDU, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nepal set up polling centres on Wednesday for one of its most hotly contested elections since the end of civil war in 2006, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government.

The Himalayan republic will elect a new parliament on Thursday, replacing the interim government that has led the country of 30 million people since the September 2025 uprising in which at least 77 people were killed.

In the heart of the capital, at Kathmandu's Durbar Square -- a UN World Heritage site of pagoda temples and medieval splendour -- election officials were erecting polling booths set to open soon after dawn on Thursday.

Sushila Karki, the interim prime minister, has urged people to vote "without any fear".

Helicopters have flown voter materials to snowbound mountain regions across Nepal, home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest.

But this time, attention has shifted to the hot farming plains south of the capital, where all three prime ministerial hopefuls are contesting seats -- a departure from past elections that focused on Kathmandu.

That includes the usually sleepy eastern town of Jhapa, the site of a head-to-head contest between two key rivals.

KP Sharma Oli, the 74-year-old Marxist leader ousted as prime minister last year and seeking a return to power, is being challenged in his home constituency by former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician.

While nearly 19 million voters are registered nationwide, the Jhapa-5 constituency -- with around 163,000 voters -- will determine whether Oli secures his seat or whether Shah enters parliament.

- 'High-risk area' -

Shah, from the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has cast himself as a symbol of youth-driven political change, encouraging voters to "ring the bell" of change, in reference to the party symbol.

While nearly 19 million voters are registered nationwide, the Jhapa-5 constituency -- with around 163,000 voters -- will determine whether Oli secures his hrsseat or whether Shah enters parliament.

"This is a high-risk area -- the competition is between the popular candidates," said Jhapa chief election officer Bidur Kumar Karki, saying both police and soldiers have been deployed.

"We feel that this place is secure and there has been no incident... I would request all voters to actively participate in the voting."

Police in Jhapa were busy erecting fences on Wednesday to direct voters when polling opens, AFP reporters saw.

Also in the race as aspiring prime minister is Gagan Thapa, 49, the new head of the country's oldest party, Nepali Congress, who has told AFP he wanted to end the "old age" club of revolving veteran leaders.

Thapa is running in the Sarlahi constituency, a mainly farming district bordering India.

More than half of Nepal's population lives in the rural plains of Nepal's southern Madesh district in the lush "terai" grasslands fed by Himalayan snowmelt.