KHALANGA, March 6: Vote counting for the House of Representatives (HoR) election has begun in Darchula.
According to the District Election Office, an all-party meeting had decided to start vote counting from 7:00 PM on Friday. However, due to delays in technical preparations, the counting began only recently.
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Vote counting is currently taking place at the building of Mahendra Namuna Secondary School in Khalanga, the district headquarters. According to the district’s Chief Election Officer, the counting initially began with votes from Byas Rural Municipality-2.
The counting process was initiated after the collection and management of ballot boxes were completed.
In the HoR polls held on Thursday, Darchula recorded a voter turnout of 53.76 percent. According to the District Election Office, a total of 49,968 voters cast their votes across the district.
Meanwhile, the District Administration Office stated that the election was conducted peacefully. Due to the district’s difficult terrain, ballot boxes from some polling centers in the northern areas were transported to the district headquarters by a Nepal Army helicopter, while those from other areas were collected under the supervision of security personnel on foot and by vehicles.
Returning Officer Bhuvan Giri said security arrangements have been tightened at the vote counting center. He added that the counting is being conducted in the presence of representatives of political parties, election officials, and security personnel to ensure transparency and fairness.