CHITWAN, June 1: District Election Office, Chitwan has confirmed that 90 ballot papers were torn up during the vote counting of Bharatpur Metropolitan City on Sunday night.
The team comprised of Chief Election Officer, the candidate and the leaders representing concerned parties confirmed the number. The ballot papers which were sealed four days ago following the incident of tearing up ballot papers of ward number 19 was opened on Thursday.
Of the total 29 wards, the vote counting is over in 27 wards. It was speculated there were a lot of votes for Renu in ward No. 19. The ballot papers were torn after 1,809 ballot papers were counted.
The team found 998 ballot papers unharmed among the total counted ballot papers.
“We found 90 ballot papers tornup. I will send this report to the Election Commission which will take further decision”, said Chief Election Officer, Kabi Prasad Neupane.
Ballot papers printed for 36 districts
As many as 2,897 votes were cast in Ward No. 19. According to the latest vote updates, Gyawali was taking lead with 733 votes.
By the time the ballot papers were torn, Gyawali had secured 41, 641 votes while rival Dahal was trailing with 40, 908 votes.
A team of 46 individuals entered the counting center at the Covered Hall of BMC.
The torn ballot papers and those to be counted have been kept at the Covered Hall.
The investigation was launched after halting the vote counting.
On Sunday, Election Commission had formed a three-member probe panel comprising Joint Attorney General Gita Prasad Timsina, Joint Secretary of the Minister of Home Affairs Mahesh Acharya and Additional Inspector General of Police Kedar Man Singh Bhandari to look into the incident.
Drawing a conclusion that the Maoist Center booth representative tore ballot papers at the counting center, the panel had submitted a report to the EC on Wednesday.
The 46-member investigation team entered the counting center after the EC ordered Chitwan Chief Returning Officer Neupane to prepare details of the torn ballot papers.
The ballot papers were torn while the neck-to-neck competition between Maoist Center candidate Renu Dahal and CPN-UML mayoral candidate Devi Prasad Gyawali was going on. Police had taken booth representatives Madhu Neupane and Drona Babu Shivakoti into custody.
Chief Returning Officer Neupane told media persons that the incident took place while he was in the toilet.
Chitwan District Police Chief Dipak Thapa who was in the incident site informed that 4 to 5 ballot papers were torn.
The Maoist Center has been demanding re-polling in Ward No. 19 after the incident. On the other hand, UML has been saying that the incident was intentionally orchestrated after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s daughter’s defeat was likely. UML has been disrupting the House meeting due to the same reason.
