Re-polling of Bharatpur Metropolis-19 held successfully

CHITWAN: At least 75.58 percent voters have cast their votes in the re-polling of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-19 which was held successfully on Friday, said the Election Commission.

 

According to the Chief Election Officer's Office in Chitwan district 2, 870 votes were cast today.

Out of the total votes, 1014 votes were cast at Jeevanjyoti Rastriya Primary School, 953 votes were cast at Kiran Secondary in Kirangunj polling centre and 903 votes at Sharad Higher Secondary School in Sharadanagar in the Metropolis-19.

Bhatarpur Metropolitan City-19 has total number of 3, 797 voters, out of which only 75.28 percent voters cast their vote today, compared to 76. 29 percent vote cast on May 14 local level elections.

The turnout was less by 27 compared to the May 14 polls, most probably, due to heavy rainfall for two days, farmers steeping themselves in paddy plantation, disruption in Narayanghat-Mugling road and others.

The Election Office in Chitwan is preparing to count vote amid tight security. CCTV cameras have been installed around the vote counting centres, vote counting would be conducted inside a barbed wire fence barring political parties representatives from entering the vote counting area.

It has been learned that the vote counting would begin from this evening if the political parties would be able to reach understanding, informed the chief returning officer Kabi Raj Neupane.

The Supreme Court on Sunday upheld the EC’s decision to conduct re-polling in Ward no. 19 of Bharatpur Metropolis.

Earlier, cadres affiliated to CPN-Maoist Centre had torn 90 ballot papers during the counting of vote of ward number 19 on May 29, as a result of which the vote counting was halted.

Maoist cadres Maoist cadres Drona Babu Siwakoti and Madhu Neupane allegedly tore the ballot papers as their Mayoral candidate Renu Dahal was lagging behind UML candidate Devi Gyawali by 786 votes.

The vote counting of ward number 19 was almost over before the Maoist cadres resorted to untoward activities. Of the total 29 wards in the Metropolis, the vote counting of all wards have been concluded except ward no. 19 and 20.

Earlier, the Election Commission had decided to hold re-polling in Bharatpur -19 after the fracas.

A division bench of Justices Om Prakash Mishra and Purushottam Bhandari quashed the writ petition filed by CPN-UML ward member candidate for Bharatpur-19 Gunjaman BK, and advocate Tulsiram Pandey against the EC decision to conduct re-election.

Earlier, a single bench of Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana on June 5 had issued an interim order telling the EC not to implement its June 2 decision to hold re-polling in Bharatpur Metropolis-19.

Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre had forged an electoral alliance to contain CPN-UML in the Metropolis.

UML had fielded Devi Gyawali and Maoist had fielded Renu Dahal daughter of then PM and CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

A woman cast her vote in Bharatpur Metropolis-19 in Chitwan district, on Friday, August 4, 2017. Photo: Tilak Ram Rimal
A woman cast her vote in Bharatpur Metropolis-19 in Chitwan district, on Friday, August 4, 2017. Photo: Tilak Ram Rimal