Vote counting suffers delays in remote districts

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT, Humla/Jakarkot, Nov. 22: The counting of votes could not start in many vote counting centres because of the delay in the arrival of ballot boxes.  

In Southern area of Humla, ballot boxes of four municipalities had not arrived at the office of chief of Election Officer till Monday due to road blockade and a long distance between polling stations and vote counting centre. 

Chief Election Officer Dil Prasad Sapkota informed that the ballot boxes of 34 polling centres of Sarkegad, Chankheli, Adanchuli and Tanjakot Rural Municipalites were yet to arrive in the district headquarters. The ballot boxes were collected in Sarkegad and kept there due to difficulty in transferring them to Simkot by road. It takes one-and-a-half day to reach Simkot from Sarkegad by road. 

He said that the discussion is being held with the government to transfer the ballot boxes by helicopter. The ballot boxes of 25 polling centres of Kharpunath, Simkot and Namkha Rural Municipalites have been transferred to the office. 

Meanwhile, in Jajarkot, the counting of votes could not start even after all the ballot boxes from the municipalities had arrived in the district headquarters Khalanga. The counting was delayed because the ballot boxes of Junichande Rural Municipaity arrived in the headquarters only on Monday afternoon. The ballot boxes from rest of the other six municipalities had arrived earlier. Chief Election Officer Keshav Chapagai said that the counting of votes would start soon because the ballot boxes from all seven municipalities were brought to the headquarters.

Likewise, the counting of votes in Sankhuwasabha has been affected due to delay in bringing ballot boxes to the vote counting centre. Out of 10 local levels in the district, there had been a delay in bringing the ballot boxes of Bhot Khola Rural Municipality due to its remote condition. District Election Office, Shankhuwa informed that the counting of vote would only start from Tuesday. 

The vote counting was halted after a complaint was filed at the office of the Election Officer by CPN-UML demanding reelection due to the capture of booths in five places. Even the Election Commission has not been able to come up with any decision. The cadres close to the ruling alliance have been protesting in front of the vote counting centre, Gauri Shankar Multiple Campus.