KATHMANDU, March 5: Inmates across various districts participated in voting under the House of Representatives (HoR) elections through temporary polling stations set up inside prison premises.
Jaleshwar Prison, Mahottari
Voting was completed at Jaleshwar Prison in the district headquarters of Jaleshwar. According to Chief Election Officer Madhav Prasad Adhikari, voting at the temporary polling station set up inside the prison office was completed within 30 minutes.
Out of 391 inmates in the prison, only 21 were registered voters, and all 21 cast their votes, achieving 100 percent turnout, said polling officer Ashok Kumar Kshetri.
Chief District Officer Indradev Yadav said three temporary polling stations were established in the district, including the one at Jaleshwar Prison, where voting was completed with full participation. He added that voting is continuing peacefully across the district, with about 10 percent turnout recorded so far.
Rajbiraj Prison, Saptari
Voting was also completed at Rajbiraj Prison. According to polling officer Umesh Aryal, a total of 68 people, including inmates and staff members, cast their votes.
Among the 69 registered voters in the prison, 66 cast votes under the proportional representation category, including two staff members. Three voters did not vote as two inmates had completed their sentences before the election and one had been transferred to another prison.
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According to acting jailer Sushil Karn, the prison currently houses 352 inmates, including 21 women.
Baglung Prison
Voting was completed at the temporary polling station in Baglung District Prison. Out of 55 registered voters—53 inmates and two staff members—53 votes were cast.
Polling officer Dhirendra Raj Pant said the turnout reached 96.36 percent at the center where only proportional representation voting was conducted. Among the registered inmate voters, one had been transferred and another had been released, resulting in 51 inmates and two staff members casting votes.
After the voting concluded, the process of handing over ballot boxes in the presence of representatives from political parties began.
Baglung district has a total of 193,381 voters across two temporary polling stations, 107 polling places and 230 permanent polling centers.
Kaski Prison
Voting at the temporary polling station in Kaski Prison recorded 100 percent turnout. Out of 38 inmates listed in the Election Commission's voter roll, only 37 were eligible to vote as one had been released on bail.
All 37 eligible voters cast their ballots, said polling officer Govinda Shrestha. Including three staff members who also voted, the total number of votes cast at the center reached 40.
Although the prison houses 697 inmates, only 38 were listed in the voter register. Information officer Rudra Neupane of the Election Office in Pokhara said voting is taking place peacefully at all polling centers in the district.
Kaski district has 365 polling centers and 153 polling places, including two temporary polling stations.
Birgunj Prison, Parsa
In Birgunj Prison of Parsa district, 32 inmates cast their votes under the proportional representation category.
According to polling officer Yadav Kumar Joshi, 32 out of 37 inmate voters cast their ballots at the temporary polling station set up inside the prison premises.
The total number of voters at the center was 70, including 30 prison staff and security personnel and three election staff members.
Although the prison houses more than 1,200 inmates and detainees awaiting trial, only a small number were able to vote as most were not listed in the voter register.
Surkhet Prison
All eligible voters at Surkhet District Prison cast their votes. According to the District Prison Office, although there were initially 103 registered voters, 15 were unable to vote as some had completed their sentences and others had been transferred to different prisons.
The remaining 88 voters—80 men and eight women—cast their ballots, said Lal Bahadur Gurung, chief of the Provincial Election Office in Surkhet.
Surkhet district has 305 polling centers and 142 polling places, including temporary polling stations. Voting that began at 7 AM will continue until 5 PM.
