KATHMANDU: Vote counting to elect the new Central Working Committee of the Nepali Congress is underway at the party’s central office in Sanepa, with the election committee saying the process is progressing systematically, smoothly and swiftly.
Considering the upcoming Dashain festival, the party has intensified the counting process. Raju Katuwal, member secretary of the Congress Central Election Committee, said vote counting for multiple positions was being conducted simultaneously by deploying around 25 teams.
According to Katuwal, counting for two clusters was completed by Tuesday morning, while counting for four other clusters was ongoing. Preparations were also underway to begin counting votes for six additional clusters.
The election committee said counting had been completed for seven central committee positions under the public relations cluster, comprising two women and five open-category members. Counting for the joint general secretary and central committee member positions under the backward communities category had also concluded.
Meanwhile, vote counting is continuing for several positions intended to ensure representation of different social groups, geographical regions and younger generations within the party. These include the open and women’s joint general secretary positions and the women’s central committee membership category.
Counting is also underway for the joint general secretary and central committee member positions under the Indigenous Nationalities category, as well as open, women’s and under-35 central committee positions for the Far Western Province. The open central committee positions under the geographical and under-35 categories are also being counted.
The election committee has stepped up preparations to begin counting votes for the remaining categories. Among the most anticipated results are those for the 45 open-category central committee positions, which are expected to draw considerable interest.
According to the Nepali Congress Media Center, preparations are also underway to count votes for the joint general secretary position under the Dalit category and for open, women’s and Madhesi Dalit central committee positions.
Similarly, counting will cover the joint general secretary and central committee member positions under the minority and disability categories; the Madhesi joint general secretary position and open and women’s central committee seats; and the Khas-Arya joint general secretary position and open and women’s central committee seats. The open and women’s central committee positions under the professional category are also awaiting vote counting.
With around 25 teams working simultaneously, the party expects the counting process to move forward rapidly and the results for the remaining positions to be announced soon.
The election committee has stated that it aims to make all results public by Wednesday, paving the way for the Nepali Congress to establish its new Central Working Committee.