KATHMANDU: Voting to elect the new central committee for the 15th general convention of the Nepali Congress began at 7 a.m. today.
Delegates have been lining up since early morning to cast their ballots. The election committee plans to begin counting votes immediately after the polling concludes.
The voting, originally scheduled for yesterday, was postponed due to poor weather, technical issues, and delays in ballot paper printing. Raju Katuwal, member secretary of the election committee, stated that the decision to hold the vote in the morning was made to avoid inconveniencing delegates during the night.
Voting is scheduled to continue until 3 p.m. today. There are 7,317 delegates participating in the general convention. Election committee coordinator and senior advocate Prem Bahadur Khadka confirmed that all preparations are complete, with 32 senior advocates assigned to sign the ballot papers.
Since the convention has been extended by one day, the party will cover the hotel and meal expenses for delegates for Friday, according to Umesh Shrestha, coordinator of the financial management committee.
The election committee has designated specific polling centers based on provinces and groups. Delegates from Bagmati Province will vote at the National Assembly Hall, while the open ground center is reserved for Koshi Province and the Terai-Madhesh group. Other venues include the Himal Hall for Gandaki Province, the Terai-Madhesh Hall for Madhesh Province, and the Pahad Hall for Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim provinces. The Pahad Hall is also designated for representatives of the Nepali Public Relations Committee and fraternal organizations.
Delegates are prohibited from bringing mobile phones or similar items into the polling area. Following the completion of candidacy registration and withdrawals, the final list of candidates has been published.
The election will determine the party’s president, vice presidents, general secretaries, joint general secretaries, and central members. The Nepali Congress has amended its constitution to expand the central working committee to 297 members.
