General Election Concludes Peacefully Across Nepal Amid Minor Incidents

Kathmandu. The House of Representatives elections held today concluded overall peacefully. Security personnel did not have to resort to force, and only two rounds of celebratory firing and one accidental discharge of a firearm were reported nationwide.

Voting was obstructed for about five hours at the Golmeshwor Secondary School polling center in Tamakoshi Rural Municipality-4. Although tension arose briefly due to a dispute between election officials and party cadres, voting resumed at 4 PM and was completed.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Somendra Singh Rathore, who commanded the election security in Dolakha, two rounds of aerial firing were conducted. "We initially fired two rounds of aerial shots to bring the security situation under control," he stated.

Meanwhile, at the Tarkari tatha Phalful Bikri Kendra Tawakhola 'B' polling center in Katari Municipality-3, a shotgun held by a police constable accidentally discharged, hitting a ballot box. However, the four votes inside the ballot box remained undamaged. According to Police Spokesperson (DIG) Abinarayan Kafle, no shots were fired outside of Dolakha and Udayapur.

"Compared to past elections, this time the election was completed in an extremely peaceful, orderly, and robust manner," said DIG Kafle.

Despite structural damage following the vandalism on Bhadra 23 and 24, the police successfully managed the election security command by implementing effective security strategies. The security agencies claim that the government's clear objective of conducting the election without "a single drop of blood being shed" was achieved.

Special security commands were deployed in areas expected to have heavyweight competition. Experienced and high-ranking officials were deployed in districts including Jhapa, Sarlahi, and Dolakha.

Voting was briefly halted at the Shree Primary School polling center in Balara Municipality-4 due to a dispute between party representatives, but it resumed and was completed. Security officers deployed in that area coordinated without leaving the site to ensure the voting process was completed.

Sporadic disputes occurred in districts such as Rautahat, Syangja, Humla, and Dadeldhura, but voting was completed peacefully through coordination among all four security agencies.

No Need for Re-election

The Election Commission stated that voting concluded peacefully nationwide and there is no situation requiring a re-election. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ramprasad Bhandari stated that no need for a re-poll has been observed anywhere so far.

In this election, 165 members will be selected directly and 110 through the proportional representation system. Approximately 334,000 security personnel were mobilized for election security. According to the integrated security plan, 79,000 Nepal Army personnel, 73,000 Nepal Police personnel, 31,000 Armed Police Force personnel, and 1,800 National Investigation Department personnel were deployed.

No baton charge was required anywhere during the election, and there was no human casualty. The overall conclusion of the security agencies is that the election was completed peacefully and systematically.