Bara, September 14

Election staffers with election materials have reached their duty stations for the third round of local level elections, in Bara of Province 2.

Election officers will start distributing voter identity cards from September 15 to 17 from the various polling stations in the district. They have called a multi-party meeting for tomorrow.

Office of the chief returning officer in Bara said election materials, including ballot papers, had reached all 16 local levels of the district. There are 304 polling stations and 458 voting centres across the district, where around 2,000 poll staffers will be deployed.

Chief Returning Officer Ritendra Thapa said one officer and one assistant officer and three supporting staff members would be deployed in each polling centre.

Security has been beefed up in the district with a view to averting any untoward incident. Election officer of Baragadhi Rural Municipality Ramesh Ghimire said the elections would be held in a free and fearless manner.

Bara police chief SP Rajkumar Baidabar said 5,180 security personnel had been deployed to hold the third phase of local level elections. He informed that the local administration has banned sale and consumption of alcohol from September 12 to 20 in the district.

A decision to this effect was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief District Officer of Bara Bijaya Narayan Mandhar, on September 11.

SP Baidabar added that all stakeholders were urged to support elections in a conducive environment by closing down hotels and restaurants, among other businesses. There are a total of 334,746 voters across the district.