Dispute erupts over vote counting in Taplejung

KATHMANDU: Taplejung has witnessed a dispute over vote counting after the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) filed a complaint alleging irregularities in the recent election.

The controversy centers on the Lingtep polling center in Meringden Rural Municipality-4, where RSP candidate Engineer Birendra Shrestha claimed “abnormal voting patterns” and accused others of “booth capture.” Shrestha submitted a complaint to the Chief Election Officer, demanding action.

The RSP highlighted that while the national average turnout was 51%, Lingtep reported an unusually high 88% turnout. Shrestha also alleged that over 37% of votes were cast in the names of deceased individuals, Nepalis working abroad, or residents no longer living in the area. The party has declared it will not participate in vote counting until a fair investigation is conducted.

Shrestha had reportedly warned the Chief Election Commissioner before the polls about the risk of booth capture in the area. However, Chief Election Officer Bikash Shrestha dismissed the complaint, stating that it lacks legal basis since it was filed after the votes were cast. He emphasized that any irregularities should have been reported during the voting process.

At a multi-party meeting held at 10 a.m., Shrestha raised the issue again and left a copy of his complaint with the election office after it was rejected. The election office confirmed that vote counting will proceed as scheduled. The Taplejung contest features RSP’s Birendra Shrestha, CPN-UML’s Kshitij Thebe, and Nepali Congress’s Gajendra Prasad Limbu as candidates.