A total of 80 political parties have registered with the Election Commission as of Tuesday to participate in the upcoming House of Representatives election.

The commission has kept party registration open until November 26 for those intending to contest the March 5 parliamentary polls. Officials say the number of applicants is likely to increase as one full day still remains for parties to file their documents.

Under existing legal provisions, political parties already registered with the commission must submit a fresh application specifically for election participation. The commission allocated the period from November 17 to 26 for parties to complete this requirement.

The CPN-UML, which has long advocated the reinstatement of the House, submitted its election participation application on Tuesday. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which has argued that elections under current conditions may not provide a way out for the country, also filed its papers the same day.

Major parties including the Nepali Congress, the Nepal Communist Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party have already registered. Newly registered parties at the commission have likewise filed fresh applications to join the race.

With the deadline approaching, officials anticipate more filings before registration closes on Wednesday.