KATHMANDU, Nov 27: The first phase of parliamentary and provincial assembly elections conducted on Sunday in 32 mountainous and high hilly districts were largely peaceful, despite security threat from the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, a Maoist party.
Elections were deferred in only two of the 4,465 polling booths, according to the Election Commission (EC) and home ministry.
“It is a major achievement that election has been concluded in a free, fair, and peaceful manner with an encouraging participation of voters despite minor obstructions from anti-poll forces, geographical isolation and difficult weather,” said spokesperson for the home ministry, Narayan Prasad Sharma Duwadi on Sunday.
Local elections held in largely 'peaceful' atmosphere
Security forces defused explosive devices in Dhading, Gorkha, Baglung, Taplejung, Darchula, Dolakha, Rolpa, Jajarkot and Nuwakot districts. Police defused a bomb buried at a polling station in Taplejung district suspending the voting process for few hours.
Police fired shots in the air in Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk, Dhading, Jajarkot and Gorkha districts after cadres of the left or democratic alliance resorted to prevent rival party cadres from casting their votes.
EC has decided to conduct re-election at two polling booths of Rukum after acid was poured into two ballot boxes. Chief Election Officer for Rukum (West), Kaji Bahadur Rai said re-polls will be held at the two polling centers on December 7.
The election at Ratna Secondary School polling center of Bafikot and Rastriya Secondary School polling centers of Aathbiskot were suspended after ballot papers were burnt by an unidentified group.
According to DSP Rajendra Dhamala, 250 ballots were cast at Ratna school while 365 ballots were cast at Rastriya school.
Police detained Rupa Kami from Syalakhadi of Rukum while attempting to pour acid in a ballot box. “Voting remained largely peaceful in other areas of the district except for the two polling centers,” said chief district officer of Rukum, Bansi Kumar Acharya.
Two policemen were injured by a bomb hurdled by Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN cadres in Kalikot district on Saturday night. Policemen Giriraj Bhandari and Ram Bahadur Chaudhary were injured while guarding the polling center at Kirtipur of Sunnitriveni Rural Municipality, according to Nepal Police AIG Rana Bahadur Chand. The injured have been brought to Surkhet for further treatment.
Two persons were injured in Khatyad Rural Municipality of Mugu in a clash between Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML cadres. UML cadres Tirtha Buda and eight-year-old child Chandra Bahadur Rokaya were injured when NC cadres stabbed UML cadres in a dispute over party representatives, said information officer at the District Election Office, Rajiman Budha. According to DSP Bhimkiran Bogati, explosions near polling stations were reported in three different places of the district.
Police fired five rounds of bullets into the air in Marwu-7 of Baityeshwar Rural Municipality in Dolakha to control the situation after the cadres of the left alliance captured a booth and started casting proxy votes, informed Chief District Officer Laxman Bikram Thapa. Likewise, cadres of the left alliance chased the cadres of Nepali Congress and captured the polling center in Suri of Gauri Shanker of the district. This is the polling center of left alliance candidate Parbat Gurung.
