Nepal local polls in Terai held peacefully

KATHMANDU : Nepal on Monday held largely peaceful elections to local government bodies in Province no 2, which is considered the Madhesi heartland, with 73% of the voters casting their ballots.

Sporadic scuffles were reported in some districts but the polls were not affected in any way, officials said. More than 60,000 security personnel were deployed across eight districts of Province no 2.

A total of 33 fake voters and 10 others who violate security regulations were arrested, chief election commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav told a news briefing immediately after voting concluded.

The Election Commission put the turnout at 73% and said polls were largely peaceful.

Monday’s elections are being seen as a litmus test for Nepal’s big political parties, especially the Madhes-based parties.

The elections to the local bodies in Province no 2 were another crucial step for implementation of the new Constitution against the backdrop of protests by Madhesi people since September 2015, demanding fair representation of the population of the Terai in state entities and correction of federal boundaries.

The elections went ahead only after Madhes-based parties agreed to join the process. They had boycotted the two previous rounds of voting.

A tough competition is expected among the big parties in Province no 2, while the main opposition CPN-UML is leading in the overall poll results in Provinces no 1, 3,4,5,6 and 7.HTC