Bharatpur, May 29
Counting of votes in the race for the post of Bharatpur Metropolitan City’s Mayor has been postponed for an indefinite period as authorities investigate the tearing of ballot papers at midnight on Sunday.
According to authorities, a group barged into the covered hall and tore some of the ballot papers yet to be counted, at around 11:44 pm.
The Chief Returning Officer’s Office has issued a notice announcing the postponement of the count for and indefinite period following the incident.
Chief Returning Officer Kavi Prasad Neupane said the incident took place when he had gone to the toilet. The number of ballot papers torn is yet to be determined.
The CPN (UML) has accused CPN (Maoist Centre) cadres of destroying the ballot papers. The Maoist Centre, meanwhile, has accused the UML cadres of orchestrating the incident. Police have arrested three persons.
District Police Office Chitwan’s SP Deepak Thapa said the arrested are Maoist Centre cadres Dron Babu Shiwakoti and Ishwor Sapkota and UML’s Gangalal Lama.
Police even resorted to baton-charge outside the hall as the covered hall. The UML’s mayoral candidate Devi Prasad Gyawali was 755 votes ahead of the Maoist Centre’s candidate Renu Dahal when counting was discontinued.
