Mock Voting and Security Drill Held in Nawalparasi Ahead of By-Election

 A mock voting session and election security drill were conducted in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) with the objective of ensuring the House of Representatives by-election on Falgun 21 is held peacefully, systematically, and reliably.

The drill, jointly organized by the District Election Office and the Chief Election Office, included mock voting under both First-Past-the-Post and Proportional Representation systems.

Lal Prasad Sharma Bhusal, Chief of the District Election Office, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), stated that the exercise was conducted with the goal of practically teaching all procedures to be followed on election day.

“To give the mock voting a real election format, separate queues were arranged for female, male, elderly, and differently-abled voters,” he said, adding, “The exercise saw active participation from the voting officer, assistant staff, security personnel, and representatives from relevant bodies.”

Bhabishwar Pandey, Chief District Officer of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), explained that practical drills were conducted on managing potential disputes during voting, resolving issues like torn or damaged ballots, addressing queries regarding voter identification, queue management, crowd control, and coordination among security agencies.

Chief Election Officer Kamal Prasad Gyawali expressed confidence that such drills would be effective in making the election process flawless, secure, and voter-friendly, ensuring no confusion on Falgun 21. According to him, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) has a total of 268,526 registered voters.