Security stepped up in Mahottari in view of election

Published On: November 18, 2022 07:00 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

MAHOTTARI, Nov 18: Security in Mahottari district has been beefed up in view of the November 20 parliamentary elections.

With the enforcement of the campaign silence by the Election Commission (EC) since Thursday midnight, the candidate hopefuls of the upcoming twin elections have stopped their election campaigns and are engaged in internal discussions with their respective political parties' representatives.

Around 5,000 security personnel have been deployed in the district, which has 258 polling stations and 499 polling centers. They have been regularly patrolling the district for the voters to cast their ballot in a peaceful environment, according to the District Administration Office, Mahottari. There are two temporary polling stations in the district.

Mahottari’s Chief District Officer (CDO) Deepak Pahadi urged, "We have appealed to all voters to vote with confidence as we have beefed up security in the district. We have been monitoring all polling centers in the district."

Altogether 4,500 election staff (election officers, assistant election officers and other human resources) have been mobilized in the district to hold the election in a free, fair and impartial manner, according to Hem Bahadur Sen, chief election officer of the district.

The National Investigation Department office in Mahottari is also meticulously monitoring the security sensitivity and security arrangements in the district. Of the total 258 polling stations in the district, 143 are marked as ‘highly sensitive’, 114 as ‘sensitive’ and others as ‘normal’, according to CDO Pahadi.

Pahadi shared that security has been beefed up along the Nepal-India border in the district and regular patrols were being conducted within a distance of about 39 km from the border with India.

Two-way traffic along the border area remains halted by the local government since Thursday midnight, he added.

There are four constituencies for the House of Representatives and eight for the Province Assembly. A total of 229 candidates are vying for these posts in the twin elections. The number of independent candidates in the district stands at 136.

There are altogether 397,030 voters in the district, according to the District Election Office, Mahottari.