KATHMANDU, March 21: Vote counting of Free Students´ Union elections underway at Tribhuvan University Central Campus, Kirtipur, Prithivi Narayan Campus, Pokhara and Ramsworup Ramsagar Multiple Campus, Janakpur has been halted due to disputes over counting process among the student unions.
The counting process at TU Central Campus Kirtipur has been halted since early Saturday morning after a dispute over ballot papers used during the election. [break]
"The counting process has been halted as we found that the column given to tick on our election symbol is much smaller than other columns and due to the same reason the election committee declared 329 votes given to us invalid," Jagrit Rayamajhi of Maoist student union, All Nepal National Independent Students´ Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) told myrepublica.com.
He accused that the column was conspicuously made smaller when the ballot paper was printed.
He said the ANNISU-R candidates are still leading in major posts. Maoist student union´s General Secretary Himal Sharma is vying for presidency at the central campus. Likewise, Manushi Yami Bhattarai, daughter of top Maoist leader and Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Minister for Culture and Tourism Hisila Yami, is the union´s candidate for secretary at the same campus.
Rayamajhi said that Sharma is leading by 350 votes while Manushi is leading her rivals with a bigger margin. Talks among the representatives of the student unions started Saturday morning to resolve the matter.
About 2,600 votes have been counted at the central campus. Nationwide FSU election was held on Thursday amid sporadic violent clashes.
Meanwhile, counting of the votes at Prithvi Narayan Campus has been halted after ANNISU-R objected over the ballot papers and counting process underway at the campus. According to our correspondent Manoj Adhikari, UML student wing All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU) is leading in the counting so far. The Maoist student union has been insisting either to recount all the votes or to conduct re-polling at the campus while UML student wing is for continuing the process. The Nepal Student Union (NSU) is supporting the Maoist student union´s stance. An all-party meeting is underway at the Kaski District Administration Office to resolve the dispute.
Likewise, counting of votes has been halted at Ramsworup Ramsagar Multiple Campus after majority of student organizations at the campus boycotted the counting process, according to our correspondent Suresh Kumar Yadav.
The dissident student unions have been demanding re-polling at the college accusing Madhesi Student Forum and NSU of taking the counting process ahead in their favor with support from campus administration.
Maoist student organization, a faction of NSU led by Sanjiv and another group led by independent candidate Niraj Jha, among other dissident student groups, have been sloganeering at the campus. Student groups and police have clashed at the campus area several times since Friday morning. Around six students and two local journalists have been injured in the clashes.
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