After Boycott by Park Victims, Voting Fails to Begin in Parts of Dang

Dang — Victims affected by the national park in Babai Rural Municipality of Dang have boycotted the election.

Local residents in Ward No. 1 (Jila) and Ward No. 7 (Malai) of Babai Rural Municipality announced the boycott. As locals refused to participate in the vote, polling has not been able to begin at the two polling stations.

Although voting officially started at 7 a.m., not a single voter had arrived by around 9:30 a.m. at the polling stations located at Janata Basic School in Jila (Ward 1) and Deuti Secondary School in Malai (Ward 7).

According to Dang Chief District Officer Bishwaprakash Aryal, all election procedures have been completed, but no voters have shown up to cast their ballots. “All the election procedures have been completed. However, not a single vote has been cast so far,” he said.

Aryal also expressed hope that voters might still be on their way to the polling stations. Election officials, meanwhile, are waiting for voters to arrive.

The two polling centers lie in areas affected by Banke National Park. A total of 1,214 voters are registered there—682 voters in Jila and 532 in Malai.

After the election date was announced, locals in the area decided to boycott the vote, saying they had long been affected by the national park and their concerns had not been addressed.