Voter Turnout Drops in Karnali Province Elections, Falling Below Expectations

Surkhet. Voter participation in the elections in Karnali Province this time was not as enthusiastic as in the past. While the situation elsewhere was similar, during monitoring of various polling stations in the provincial capital, Birendranagar, we found a lack of enthusiastic participation from the general community in the election. At the Bhairav Higher Secondary School polling station in Birendranagar-4, Bhairavsthan, where we arrived at 7 AM just as voting was about to begin, the presence of people was not as strong as in previous elections. This polling station, which is also where CPN-UML Secretary and Karnali Chief Minister Yamalal Kandel cast his vote, was usually a center of attention for everyone.

However, there was neither a strong presence of political party cadres nor enthusiasm among the voters. Moreover, the participation of young voters appeared significantly low. Subsequently, upon visiting other polling stations in Birendranagar, there was little excitement regarding the election among the voters.

Election officials state that if participation is weak even at polling stations in the capital, which is an urban area, it is even lower in the rural areas of Karnali.

Result - It was significantly lower than in the past.

According to the details provided by the Provincial Election Office, less than 60 percent of votes were cast across the province. Election officials in Karnali had estimated that more than 70 percent of votes would be cast this time, as 64 percent of votes were cast in the previous election (2079 BS).

Provincial Election Officer Lalbahadur Gurung briefed journalists on Wednesday: 'With the increase in new voters, participation in voting naturally increases.'

This time, 26,000 voters were added in Karnali. While there were 1,006,834 voters up to the 2079 BS election, with 26,000 added, the total voter count reached 1,037,250.

By election day, including temporary voters, the total voter count reached 1,048,138. Of these, only 55 percent, or 577,542 people, exercised their right to vote.

The number of women participating in the vote was 312,845, and the number of male voters was 264,695. Looking at the constituencies, Surkhet-1 had 122,902 voters, with 57.09 percent, or 70,167 votes cast. Similarly, Surkhet-2 had 127,668 voters, with 57.46 percent, or 73,356 votes cast.

In Dailekh-1, which has two constituencies, there were 81,287 voters, with 50.52 percent, or 41,069 votes cast, and in Dailekh-2, with 81,503 voters, 48.24 percent, or 39,321 votes were cast.

Similarly, with 108,479 voters, 56.84 percent, or 61,657 votes were cast; in Salyan with 164,648 voters, 51.14 percent, or 84,201 votes were cast; and in Rukum West with 107,748 voters, 58.44 percent, or 62,968 votes were cast.

Likewise, in Kalikot, 50 percent of votes, or 42,523 votes, were cast, where there were 85,044 voters.

In Jumla, with 72,444 voters, 56.88 percent, or 41,208 votes were cast, and in Mugu, with 36,605 voters, 60.56 percent, or 22,168 votes were cast.

In the Himalayan district of Dolpa, with 25,005 voters, 65.73 percent, or 16,437 votes were cast, while in another area of Dolpa with 34,805 voters, 64.55 percent, or 22,467 votes were cast.

According to the reports received, participation in the Himalayan districts appears higher than in the hilly districts of Karnali. Despite having fewer voters, the number of people exercising their right to vote was higher in the Himalayan districts of Mugu, Dolpa, and Humla.

Provincial Election Officer Lalbahadur Gurung also stated that the voting was lower than expected.

'We also expected the vote to be around 65-70 percent,' he said, 'There must be various reasons for that; we will review it later.' Election officials estimate that nearly 45 percent of voters did not participate in the election due to reasons such as foreign employment.

'Most of the youth from our village are employed in India and other countries; they did not return for the election,' said Hemant Dashaudi from Thantikandh-3, Dailekh. 'Only the elderly and children were in the village; very few votes were cast.'

According to him, the number of voters in that ward was 2,064, but only 44 percent voted. He says, 'There is no enthusiasm among the actual voters; very few came to the village specifically for the election.'

Previously, elections were held in Mangsir, Chaitra, and Baisakh. Citizens here come home for Chaitra Dashain, go to India for employment during the monsoon planting season in Ashar, and return home around Dashain. Then, after planting winter crops in Kartik, they go back to India. But since the election was held in Falgun this time, most of those working abroad did not return for the election.

As he stated, this is the problem in other areas of Karnali as well.

Peaceful Election Despite Low Presence

Voting in Karnali this time was completed peacefully. 8,625 election employees were deployed to conduct the voting, while more than 15,000 police personnel and election police were deployed for security, including 5,580 Nepal Police and 9,742 election police.

The Armed Police Force and the Nepali Army were also present in the electoral field. The Nepali Army secured the airports and jails in Karnali. Voting proceeded peacefully in all areas except at the Sunakhani Ma Vi polling center in Halji, Namkha Rural Municipality-6, Humla.

At that center, there was a dispute because the Lamas demanded proxy voting rights and insisted that the ballot box be taken to the monastery where a patient was ill. Voting was halted for a few hours, but the dispute was resolved after discussions.

Karnali Province Police Office Senior Superintendent Ram Prakash Shah told Ratopati that the voting was completed peacefully. 'Minor disputes always happen, but there were no disputes that caused damage or were stressful to the voting process,' he said.

Regarding vehicles, incidents of driving without permits occurred in some places. More than 50 vehicles driven without permits were impounded in Birendranagar. 'We were also communicating information from the Election Commission and the Police,' Shah said. 'Under the rule that vehicles cannot be operated without permission, some vehicles were impounded everywhere. Some were reasoned with, and some were released after 5 PM.'

Vote Counting to Begin Tomorrow, Ballot Box Collection Underway

Vote counting in most areas of Karnali will only begin tomorrow morning. According to Provincial Police Spokesperson Shah, some polling stations in Humla and Dolpa require ballot boxes to be brought in by helicopter. Thus, the process of bringing the ballot boxes will only happen tomorrow morning.

The Nepali Army's helicopters were used for every election activity in the Himalayan districts this time. Although it was suggested that counting might happen overnight after ballot boxes were collected in some districts, that is not possible. Due to the predominantly rural terrain and geographical remoteness, it takes hours for a ballot box from one area to reach the district headquarters or the counting center.

Election officials stated that the counting work will only begin in the morning due to reasons such as the need to hold an all-party meeting before counting the votes. The process of securing and collecting ballot boxes is ongoing under the presence of the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police.