Kathmandu, November 30

The Election Commission conducted by-elections in 37 districts for various posts today.

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya said that except for some sporadic incidents, polls were peaceful in all 537 polling centres of 37 districts.

Of the 454,114 voters, only 297,137 — 65.43 per cent — cast their votes. “We had expected 70 per cent votes to be cast at least in one parliamentary constituency and three provincial assembly constituencies but the preliminary report shows only 65.43 per cent,” Thapaliya added. Thawang area of Rolpa district witnessed only 16.4 per cent turnout, the lowest. The highest turnout was recorded in the by-election for vice-chair in Kharpunath Rural Municipality of Humla district.

In the by-polls held for Kaski parliamentary Constituency 2, only 65 per cent cast votes. Voter turnout for provincial assembly constituency in Bhaktapur, Baglung and Dang was 70 per cent, 61 per cent and 67 per cent respectively. Thapaliya said the EC expected all ballot boxes to be assembled at the chief returning officers’ offices in the districts by 11:00pm today and vote counting to begin in all places where by-polls were held tonight. “I expect 50 per cent poll results to be out within 12 hours,” he said, adding that poll staffers had taken care of the needs of all categories of voters — the elderly, differently-abled, the pregnant and those mourning the death of their kin.

Biruwa Dhanuk, 99 of Baitadi Puchaudi Higher Secondary polling centre was the oldest voter in today’s by-polls.

As many as 337 candidates, including 253 from political parties and 84 independents, contested the by-elections for 52 vacant posts. Of the total 337 candidates, 253 were men and 84 were women. The vacant posts included one member of the House of Representatives, three provincial assembly members and 48 chiefs, deputy chiefs and ward chairs of local levels.

Eleven parties contested the HoR election, 15 contested PA elections and 20 parties contested local-level elections.