KATHMANDU, May 31: Voting for a vacant seat in the National Assembly (NA) from Lumbini Province, which began at 9 AM, has concluded  at 3 PM.

Three of the total 300 voters of an electoral college --- comprising province assembly members and chiefs and deputy chiefs of local levels--  were absent during Monday’s voting, according to the Election Commission. 

Those who did not turn up at the polling center in Dang district’s Ghorai include Dr Dhawal Shumsher JBR, Mayor of Banke’s Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City,  Chairman of Banke’s Narainapur Rural Municipality, Mohammed Istiyak Adhmed Shah and Ashok Thapa, Chairman of Gulmi Durbar Rural Municipality in Gulmi district. 

Rana, a leader of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, had earlier announced to boycott Monday’s by-poll. 

The seat in the upper house of the federal parliament fell vacant after the CPN (Maoist Center) took action against Chandra Bahadur Khadka of Arghakhanchi after he joined the CPN-UML. Khadka has been fielded in the election as a candidate of the CPN-UML and the opposition alliance including the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), Maoist Center, Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and Rastriya Janamorcha has fielded Dirghanarayan Pandey as a common candidate. 

The Election Commission said that the vote count will begin shortly. The result of the election will be announced virtually, according to the poll body.

 
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