Vote Counting Halted in Dolpa Amidst Allegations of Fraudulent Ballots
Surkhet. Vote counting in Dolpa, which was stopped in the morning, has not yet resumed. The counting was suspended this morning due to allegations of fraudulent votes being cast.
During the counting process for Kaike Rural Municipality Wards 4 and 5, ballots were found with half-stubs missing the signatures of the voting officer and the voter on five ballot papers. This issue initiated the dispute.
Similarly, only half-stubs were found for seven other ballot papers. Following the dispute, the counting was suspended.
The counting process has become uncertain after the CPN-UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party, and an independent candidate protested, alleging that unauthorized individuals cast votes on those ballots.
They have filed complaints with the Chief Electoral Office and the District Administration Office demanding a re-election.
Dolpa's Chief District Officer, Junu Hamal Dhakal, stated that discussions regarding the resumption of vote counting are underway in an all-party meeting.
“The all-party meeting is being delayed because the Chief Electoral Officer is seeking an opinion from the Election Commission as demanded by the complainants,” she said.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
