Kathmandu, Oct 9: Nepali Congress delegates began gathering at polling centres early Friday as the party prepared to elect a new leadership and an expanded Central Working Committee through voting scheduled from 7 am to 3 pm.
Vote counting is expected to begin later in the day after polling closes and election officials complete procedures for securing and sorting the ballot boxes.
Voting had originally been scheduled for Thursday afternoon but was pushed back to Friday morning. Election Committee Member Secretary Raju Katuwal said poor weather, technical problems and concerns that delegates would have to vote late into the night prompted the postponement.
Katuwal put the total number of convention delegates at 7,317. The Election Committee, however, has separately said 7,255 delegates are eligible to cast ballots, creating a discrepancy in the figures released by election officials.
Election Committee Coordinator and senior advocate Prem Bahadur Khadka said all arrangements for polling had been completed. Thirty-two senior advocates were assigned to sign ballot papers. Printing took longer than expected because of the large number of candidates and voters, he said.
With the convention running a day longer than planned, the party has decided to cover delegates’ accommodation and meal expenses for Friday, according to Financial Management Committee Coordinator Umesh Shrestha.
Voting has been divided among several centres based on provinces and delegate categories. Bagmati delegates will vote at Centre A of the National Assembly Hall, while delegates from Koshi Province and the Tarai Madhesh group will cast ballots at Centre B in Khulamanch. Gandaki delegates have been assigned Himal Hall, and Madhesh delegates Tarai Madhesh Hall.
Delegates from Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim provinces will vote at Pahad Hall along with representatives of the party’s sister organisations and Nepali Public Relations Committees.
Election officials will verify delegates’ identity cards and names against the voter list before allowing them to cast ballots. Mobile phones and other items barred under the election code will not be permitted inside polling centres.
Once voting ends, officials will secure the ballot boxes and complete the required formalities before beginning the count. Results will be announced as counting progresses.
The election follows an amendment to the NC statute that expanded the Central Working Committee to 297 members. Delegates will elect the party president, vice presidents, general secretaries, joint general secretaries and central committee members who will lead the party for the next term.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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