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The Election Commission (EC) has urged the bodies concerned not to make a minor human error during the counting of votes as an issue of dispute.

The EC has said its attention has been drawn towards incidences of halting the counting, mobbing, shouting and causing a delay in the entire counting process over unnecessary disputes. The latest untoward scenario during the counting process has its impact on the plan of the EC to complete the process before May 19, according to the EC.

In a press statement today, EC spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel has sought to speed up the counting process with the management of required human resources by coordinating with the district-based Human Resources Management Coordination Committee.

It has sought the mobilisation of government including the province government employees in the counting with priority on the basis of their availability and to ensure more and more counting teams on the ground of the availability of space in the counting venues.

Five different agreements are to be signed between Nepal and India to deepen the century-old educational and cultural ties between the two countries.

Five Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) are expected to be signed on Monday in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during the former's visit that begins the same day, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Indian Educational and Cultural Foundation will sign one MoU each with Lumbini Buddhist University and Tribhuvan University and three MoUs with Kathmandu University.

Lumbini Buddhist University and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Tribhuvan University Nepal and Center for Asian Studies (CNAS) and ICCR, Kathmandu University and ICCR, the KU and the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai are scheduled to sign two other MoUs.

The vote counting under the local level elections will be started from today evening itself after the voting is over.

Although it was stated that the voting will conclude at 5pm, it will be continued beyond that time as all the voters who enter the polling stations by 5pm will be allowed to cast their ballots.

Election Commission spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel said that the vote counting will be started immediately after holding an all-party discussion after the ballot boxes are transported to the Office of the Election Officer in a secured way under the witness of the parties and the candidates by preparing the required papers once the voting is over.

According to him, the voter turnout was 41 percent as of 2pm based on the preliminary information.

The voting is taking place peacefully and in an enthusiastic manner at 21,955 polling centres at all the 753 local units except one in Kapilbastu district.

Voting has been obstructed at some polling stations in Dolakha, Sarlahi, Saptari, Ramechhap, Parbat, Humla and Bajura due to minor dispute, EC spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel said. He said efforts are on to start the voting soon at the polling stations where it could not take place.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said major political parties are found violating the election code of conduct for the local level elections during the silence period.

In a pre-election monitoring report, the NHRC shared that the candidacies of women and dalits is too less and no support system has been ensured for access of the disabled and the incapacitated to the polling booths.

Likewise, women, dalits, senior citizens and the disabled people are missing in the segregated data of the number of voters.

The report states that voters have the compulsion of walking for up to eight to ten hours in remote mountainous districts to cast voters in absence of easily accessible polling stations and some political parties used children for the publicity campaign.

The NHRC report said incidents of organising feasts to woo the voters and using cyber space and public platforms to throw abusive words against other political party/ies were also found in course of the monitoring.

More, election publicity contents were used going against the code of conduct. It also pointed out to the confusion among the voters regarding the voting process due to the lack of voter education.

Moreover, women numbered more in the list of missing voter identity cards with photos.

The report also stated that the health safety protocols against COVID-19 were not followed by the political parties while organising the mass assemblies.

Moreover, it said women’s candidacy except in special designated posts was very nominal in the post of ward chairperson.

The report said the election materials were inadequate in several districts.

A large number of people have left the Kathmandu Valley for their hometowns in different parts of the country to take part in the local level elections taking place at all 753 units simultaneously tomorrow, Friday.

According to police, the Valley witnessed an exodus of 83 thousand people on Wednesday alone, two days before the voting day. Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office’s deputy superintendent of police Bal Narsingh Rana said over 550 thousand people left the Valley between May 4 and 11. Today too, a more number of passengers were seen home-bound in different places of the Valley than the number of those entering here.

Political parties have reportedly managed the travel of voters to their hometowns in this election and some have managed on their own.

People are observing public holidays for consecutive four days beginning from tomorrow as the government has announced a holiday on the voting day on Friday and it will be followed by a new provision of a two-day public weekend: Saturday and Sunday, a holiday for the Buddha Jayanti on Monday. It seems that people want to utilize the time to exercise their franchise to choose their representatives to the local government for the next five- year term.

The total number of voters for this election is 17 million 733 thousand 723 and a total number of voting stations is 10,756 followed by 21,955 polling booths. The government categorized 2,946 polling stations as highly sensitive, 4,423 as sensitive and 3,387 as less sensitive and the security arrangements are in place accordingly.

Following a large exodus of the people, roads in the Kathmandu Valley have sparse traffic than usual days. Thapathali, Singhadurbar, Tripureshwor, Maitighar, Koteshwor, Gaushala and Kalanki Chowk areas which used to see heavy traffic flow and traffic jam in usual days have sparse traffic.

Drivers say that they did not face a frequent traffic jam lately and a limited number of traffic police personnel have been mobilized to deal with the Valley traffic system.

People residing temporarily in Kathmandu Valley due to various reasons are returning home to cast their votes in the May 13 local level elections.

According to Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, the number of people leaving Kathmandu valley has increased of late with most of them going home to exercise one of the greatest democratic rights - the right to vote.

Inflow of people into the valley is lesser than the outflow.

On an average, 10,000 to 15,000 people are leaving the valley on a daily basis lately. The statistics as of last Monday showed that 55,746 passengers travelled outside of the valley in 7,911 vehicles, while 42,544 entered the valley during the same period.

The data does not include passengers travelling in private vehicles and reserved ones, police said.

A total of 17,733,723 voters are enlisted in the Election Commission of Nepal. There are a total of 10,756 polling stations and 21,955 polling booths for the upcoming election.

Security arrangements have been made classifying 2,946 polling stations as highly sensitive, 4,423 as sensitive, and 3,387 as less sensitive, according to the Commission.

The election is going to be held in a single phase and silence hour begins from this midnight.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) will be operating shuttle bus service on the Election Day for the convenience of tourists. The local level election is taking place on May 13, Friday.

This service is being run in Kathmandu in view of the inconvenience to the air passengers travelling from the airport to the hotel and vice-versa on the day of the election as the government has prohibited the operation of vehicles on the Election Day.

NTB is to operate shuttle bus service on different routes from Tribhuvan International Airport to various hotels and vice-versa with the support of Tourist Police and in coordination with Tourist Bus Association of Nepal and the Nepal Tourist Vehicle Association.

The Route number 1 is from the airport to the Nepal Airlines Corporation Head Office, Hotel Annapurna, Hotel Yak & Yeti, Thamel Square, Lainchaur Square, Shanker Hotel and to the airport.

Route number 2 is from the airport to Hotel Radisson, Hotel Shangri-La, Narayangopal Chowk, Maharajgunj Chowk, Hyatt Hotel, Chabahil and airport.

The Route number 3 is from the airport to Tinkune Chowk, Hotel Everest, Maitighar Chowk, Hotel Himalaya, Hotel Soaltee, Grand Hotel and airport.

The tourists using the shuttle bus service will be charged Rs 300 per person to the bus owner concerned, NTB stated.

Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President has appealed to one and all to actively participate in the May 13 local level elections and vote for Nepali Congress candidates to make them victorious.

In his appeal today, the NC president claimed that citizens had got the opportunity to form local governments on their own following a long struggle for democracy under the NC’s leadership.

He called on eligible voters to exercise their voting rights in the local level elections meant for institutionalising and consolidating the federal democratic republic achieved by years long struggle and dedication. He went on to say that history had made it clear that movements and campaigns be they political, or socio-economic had ended with progressive results and they were carried out under the NC’s leadership and the NC’s decisive role was significant in every political movement’s success.

“The latest political developments in the country are sufficient to say that the protection of the constitution that was promulgated by the Constituent Assembly with the direct people’s participation was ensured under NC leadership when the House was under the frequent siege of a totalitarian ruler who imprudently dissolved it time and again by stepping on the country’s main law.

“The five-party political alliance was forged against the backdrop of such insolent moves. We all are aware of the existing situation that demands its continuation,” he said in the appeal.

Stating that the NC was dedicated to political stability, the NC president said the party had resolved to commercialise and modernise agriculture, promote the tourism sector and hydropower production, and also invest in the productive sector and create jobs within the country. The appeal reads, “The government formed under the leadership of NC for the protection of democracy and the constitution fulfilled its commitment to provide vaccine against COVID-19 to the general people by 13 April 2022.

He shared that the government had become successful in fulfilling the desire of Kathmandu folks by distributing drinking water by 14 May 2022 from the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

“The NC has proved that it fulfils what it says. It does not just sell dreams to the people for cheap popularity. Balanced foreign policy has increased trust and confidence of the international community.

Doors of additional possibilities of international cooperation and investment have been opened in infrastructure development with the passage of MCC from the Parliament.

Remarkable activities are being carried out to ensure good governance by discouraging corruption,” reads the appeal.

The NC president said, “NC is the heartbeat of the general people.

We do not talk, we believe in hard work.