A total of 49 candidates contesting the upcoming House of Representatives elections have withdrawn their nominations, the Election Commission said on Friday.

Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson for the commission, said the number of withdrawals reached 49 by 2 pm on Friday. The deadline for withdrawing nominations is set until 5pm.

The House of Representatives election will be held on March 5 for 110 seats under the proportional representation system and 165 seats under the first-past-the-post system. Political parties had submitted their closed lists for the proportional category on December 28 and 29.

Nominations for the first-past-the-post category were filed across the country on Tuesday.

Former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai is among those who have withdrawn their candidacies so far.