Election Materials Arrive in Tanahun for Upcoming House of Representatives Vote

Tanahun. Ballot papers required for the House of Representatives election scheduled for this Falgun 21 have arrived in Tanahun district. According to the District Election Office, the ballot papers for both direct and proportional representation for both constituencies were brought to Damauli and Dulegauda on Saturday under security cover.

The ballot papers for Constituency No. 1 have been secured at the Office of the Chief Election Officer in Damauli, and those for Constituency No. 2 at the Office of the Election Officer in Dulegauda. According to Election Officer Bikash Lamsal, 136,000 ballot papers for direct representation and 142,000 for proportional representation were received for Constituency No. 1, while 137,000 ballot papers for both categories arrived for Constituency No. 2.

The management of other materials necessary for the election, along with the ballot papers, has reached its final stage. The appointment of Election Officers and Assistant Election Officers who will manage the voting process has been completed. The Election Office is preparing to conduct special training for them on Falgun 11 and 12.

A total of 254,397 voters in Tanahun will exercise their right to vote this time, with the number of women being higher than men. Across the district, there are 130,096 female voters and 123,491 male voters.

To reduce errors and invalid votes during the election, a voter education program has been launched in all 10 local levels of the district. Specially trained volunteers have been mobilized in villages for this purpose. Kamal KC, Chief Administrative Officer of Bandipur Rural Municipality, stated that volunteers have been deployed in all wards and they will provide practical information to citizens on the correct method of voting, voter rights, and ballot secrecy. This campaign is specifically targeted at first-time young voters, senior citizens, and less literate voters.

Geographically, Constituency No. 1 includes Byas and Bhanu Municipalities, along with Bandipur, Aabukhaireni, and Devghat Rural Municipalities. Constituency No. 2 covers Shukragandaki and Bhimad Municipalities, along with Myagde, Rishing, Ghiring Rural Municipalities, and Wards 5 and 6 of Byas Municipality. Enthusiasm is visible among voters as volunteers have started explaining the difference between stamping the direct and proportional representation ballots and the code of conduct to be followed at the polling station through door-to-door visits. Election Officer Lamsal believes that if voter education proves effective, the problem of invalid votes will decrease significantly.