Voting Underway for National Assembly Elections in Bagmati Province

Voting is currently underway for the National Assembly member election in Bagmati Province.

The polling, which began at 9:00 am, is taking place at Bhutan Devi Secondary School in Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City–4 and will continue until 3:00 pm. Under the National Assembly election, voting is being held in Bagmati Province for two seats one under the women category and one under the other category. A total of six candidates are contesting the election.

In the women’s cluster, candidates include Geeta Devkota of the Nepali Congress representing the UML–Congress alliance, Saroj Kumari Jha from the CPN, and Kabita Maharjan from the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party. In the other cluster, candidates are Dr. Prem Prasad Dangal from the CPN-UML, Prem Sapkota from the CPN, and Bikram Dhukuchhu from the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party.

Arrangements have been made for Bagmati Provincial Assembly members to cast their votes at polling center ‘A’, while mayors and deputy mayors of local levels will vote at polling center ‘B’. According to Assistant Election Officer Keshav Kaushik, a total of 16 staff members, eight at each polling center, including polling officers and assistant polling officers, have been deployed.

Out of 110 members of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly, 104 are currently in office, as six members resigned to contest the House of Representatives election. On the local level side, out of 238 mayors and deputy mayors from 119 local units, 234 voters are currently eligible, as the mayor of Nagarjun Municipality has been suspended and three others have resigned.

According to Hari Dhakal, Chief of the Provincial Election Office, the total vote weight in Bagmati Province stands at 9,958, comprising 5,512 from the provincial assembly side with a vote weight of 53, and 4,446 from the local level side with a vote weight of 19.

The terms of current National Assembly members from Bagmati Province, Ganga Kumari Belbase of the then CPN (Maoist Centre) and Beduram Bhusal of the then CPN (Socialist) are set to expire in the coming month of Falgun. As per constitutional provisions, the election is being held to fill those positions.