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The Election Commission reported that 62% of voters participated in the December 1 by-elections for 41 vacant positions. The Election Commission stated that the final voter list for the local levels and wards where by-elections were held includes 226,799 voters. The election occurred for 41 positions, including the mayor, deputy mayor, rural municipality chief, deputy chief, and ward chairperson of Kirtipur Municipality in Kathmandu District. A total of 376 candidates are contesting in the by-election. Similarly, 25 political parties were registered in the by-election. Out of which 20 candidates were nominated by political parties. Nepali Congress candidates Tekraj Bhattarai and Tika Kumari Chaudhary (Bhul) have been elected as the Chiefs of the District Coordination Committee of Kailali and Okhaldhunga Districts.

The Election Commission has reported that Jagat Gharti, a candidate from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), has been elected unopposed as the Chairperson of Ward No. 2 of Uttarganga Rural Municipality in Rukum (East). The commission stated that once the ballot boxes are securely collected from the voting stations, the vote counting will begin immediately. INSEC which monitored the local level by-elections 2024, submitted its preliminary report to the Election Commission on December 1. INSEC’s report states that the pre-election preparations and the voting process were completed peacefully, as expected by the general voters and stakeholders. The report mentions, “The Election Commission did not orient the security personnel and election staff regarding the behavior towards the observers. If the Commission had conducted such orientation, it would appear that more efforts need to be made in the future. It is essential to ensure uniformity in the understanding that observers support and assist the Commission in maintaining the dignity of the election. Section 3 of Chapter 2 of the Local Level Election Act, 2017 outlines the provisions related to elections. Subsection 1 of the same section states that the election of members should take place two months before the term of the village or municipal assembly ends. However, for the first election after the commencement of this Act, the election will be held on the date specified in Section 4. Similarly, Subsection 2 states that if the position of the Chief, Deputy Chief of the District Coordination Committee, Chairperson, Vice-chairperson of the Rural Municipality, and Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, and Ward Chairperson of the Municipality becomes vacant before the term ends for any reason, the vacant position will be filled through a by-election on the date specified by the Nepal Government in consultation with the Election Commission. However, it is stipulated that no by-election will be held if less than one year remains in the term. Under this provision, the Election Commission has conducted this by-election.

According to Gorkha Representative Hariram Upreti, 1,373 votes were cast in the by-election in Gorkha Municipality-5. Chief Election Officer Shivabahadur Ranabhat stated that this is 61.71% of the total voters. He mentioned that the voting was completed peacefully. Gorkha-5 had two voting stations and three voting centers. At Gorakhkali Basic School, 255 women and 203 men cast a total of 458 votes. At ShivaBasic School ‘A’, 240 women and 229 men cast a total of 469 votes. At Shivashakti Basic School ‘B’, 262 women and 184 men cast a total of 446 votes.

Parbati Saud