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The District Election Office has announced that the by-election for the vacant Ward Chair position in Sirijanga Rural Municipality–3, Sikaincha, to be held on December 1, 2024, will have 1,528 registered voters. Among them, 844 are male voters, and 684 are female voters, according to the Taplejung Election Office. According to the National Census 2021, the population of Sirijanga Rural Municipality–3 is 925 for males and 891 for females. The female voter count is only 34 less than the male voter count, yet 160 fewer than the male voters. The census data also shows that the male literacy rate in the ward is 90.1%, while the female literacy rate is 76.7%.

According to Acting District Election Officer Bandaraj Dulal of the Taplejung District Election Office, the Kunjari voting station has 1,026 voters, with 557 male voters and 469 female voters. Similarly, the Ose voting station has 502 voters, including 287 male and 215 female voters. Although there is a provision to add an extra voting station in areas with more than 1,000 voters, no second center has been added in Kunjari as the voter count exceeds by only 26. The Taplejung District Election Office stated that there is no need to add more human resources due to the slightly higher voter count. In the local elections in 2022, there were also two voting stations, the same as now. At that time, Kunjari had 994 voters and Ose had 529 voters. In the upcoming by-election, only five more voters have been added. The number of voters in Kunjari has increased by 32, while Ose has seen a decrease of 27 voters. In the 2022 elections, Taplejung had 89,680 voters. According to updated data, as of November 30, 2024, Taplejung now has 89,189 voters, including 47,627 male voters and 41,562 female voters. The Election Office updated the voter list after removing deceased individuals, name changes, and duplicate entries. The Taplejung District Election Office has designated two voting stations for the election: Saraswati Secondary School in Kunjari and Durga Secondary School in Ose. Additionally, the Election Commission has appointed District Court Judge Bikash Shrestha as the Chief Election Officer for the election.

Ward Chairperson Dil Prasad Bokhim, who went abroad for foreign employment, remained absent from the ward from November 10, 2023. Following pressure from the locals, he sent his resignation letter from Hong Kong on October 4, 2024, leading to the by-election in Sirijanga Rural Municipality–3. Bokhim was elected as the Ward Chair in the 2022 local elections as a candidate from the Nepali Congress. The Election Commission has announced that voting will be held place on December 1, 2024, from 7 AM to 5 PM. According to the Constitution of Nepal and the Local Level Election Act, 2016, if the position of an elected representative becomes vacant before the completion of their term and if more than one year remains in their term, the vacant position will be filled through a by-election for the remaining term.

As the by-election for the post of ward chairman is certain, political parties are now engaged in the final efforts to create an atmosphere in their favor and select their candidates. The parties have reached the wards and started activities such as meetings and consultations with workers and voters.

 

Alina Diyali