Senior leaders cast their votes

Kathmandu, Nov. 26: Senior political leaders contesting the elections to the House of Representatives cast their votes in the first phase elections held on Sunday from various polling stations in their respective constituencies.

Former Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Naya Shakti Party Nepal Dr. Baburam Bhattarai cast his vote at 8:30 am from the Annapurna Secondary School polling station in Palungtar Municipality - 1 of Gorkha district while his rival former Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha cast vote at 7:25 am from the Adarsha Secondary School polling station in Siranchok Rural Municipality - 8 of Gorkha.

Both the leaders, who were together in the CPN (Maoist Centre) as deputy chairmen of the party until 2015, are contesting the elections to the House of Representatives from Gorkha constituency 2.

Dr Bhattarai, who quit the left alliance after he was denied election ticket from Gorkha-2, is backed by the NC while Shrestha is a common candidate of the left alliance.

Likewise, former speaker Onsari Gharti Magar and former Finance Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Barsha Man Pun cast their votes at 7:20 am from Madicharu polling station in Rolpa Municipality – 7 of Rolpa district.

Similarly, chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Democratic) Pashupati Shumsher Rana cast his vote from Banskharka polling station in Panchpokhari Rural Municipality of Sindhupalchok district. He is contesting the election to the House of Representatives from Sindhupalchowk constituency – 2 as a common candidate of the democratic alliance.  

Similarly, CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Agni Sapkota cast his vote at his own village, Kubinde, and Minister for Information and Communications and NC leader Mohan Bahadur Basnet cast his vote in Barhabise of Sindhupalchok.

Meanwhile, Nirmala Phunyal, 23, of Tamakoshi Rural Municipality in Dolakha district died of heart attack while standing in a queue to exercise her franchise.