Nepali voters choose left alliance in rebuke to India

Pro-China tilt at polls underlines erosion of New Delhi's influence

Left alliance candidate Krishna Bahadur Rai celebrates poll success at City Hall, Kathmandu, on Dec. 9. (Getty Images)

MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondent

December 15, 2017 21:38 JST

KATHMANDU -- Even before the final count is in, supporters of Nepal's communist coalition sniffed victory in a landmark election held over two stages, on Nov. 26 and Dec. 7, and have begun celebrating. The sound of drums echoed in a historic corner of Kathmandu, the capital of the mountainous nation, and packs of communist loyalists, astride motorcycles, and waving party flags, roared down narrow lanes.