The counting of votes cast in the by-election held in Chitwan-2 on Sunday will begin from 1 am today. District Election Officer Bhimsen Karksi said that the counting of votes will start from 1 pm. Preparations are being made to count the votes at the International Exhibition Center of Chitwan Industry Association.

An all-party meeting is underway at present.

The counting of votes was delayed after the representatives of the Nepali Congress said that the counting should not be started until the case of violation of code of conduct filed against Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane is heard. The Election Commission had decided to hold the by-election in Chitwan-2 after the Supreme Court scrapped Lamichhane’s lawmaker post saying that he had never applied to reclaim his Nepali citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship. CPN-UML’s Ram Prasad Neupane, Nepali Congress’s Jit Narayan Shrestha and Rastriya Swatantra Party’s Lamichhane among other candidates are in the fray in Chitwan.