MUSTANG: A total of 39 polling stations have been established in Mustang for the election of members of the House of Representatives (HoR) scheduled for March 5. Authorities say all polling stations across the district’s five local levels are secure from a law-and-order perspective.
However, officials have expressed concern that possible snowfall could disrupt the voting process. Heavy snowfall may make it difficult for voters, election staff, and security personnel to reach polling stations, prompting early preparations to address potential challenges.
Transport services along the Mustang–Dolpa road leading to the Sangta polling station in Waragung Muktikshetra-5 have remained disrupted for the past month due to heavy snow accumulation. Given Mustang’s history of snowfall during February and March, Chief District Officer Ajita Sharma warned that adverse weather could pose logistical difficulties on election day.
According to Pradya Sharma, roads leading to sensitive polling stations, particularly Sangta, will be cleared using snow dozers a few days before voting to ensure accessibility. On the recommendation of the District Election Office, the polling station at Samjung in Lomanthang Rural Municipality-2 has been merged with Divyadeep Secondary School in Choser of the same ward. Additionally, one polling station has been added in Loghekar Damodarkunda–Tangya to facilitate voters.
Currently, Mustang has eight polling stations in Thasang Rural Municipality, six in Gharpajhong Rural Municipality, 10 in Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, nine in Waragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality, and six in Lomanthang Rural Municipality.
Pradya Sharma said all polling stations in Mustang have access to roads, electricity, telephone, and internet services.
According to District Election Officer Lokendra Gyawali, Mustang has a total of 11,328 registered voters, 5,559 men, 5,768 women, and one from the third gender category. Voter distribution includes 2,492 in Gharpajhong, 2,908 in Thasang, 1,542 in Loghekar Damodarkunda, 2,376 in Waragung Muktikshetra, and 2,011 in Lomanthang.
For election security, 266 election police personnel from Nepal Police and 46 from the Armed Police Force Nepal have been deployed. Training for election police has been underway since Sunday.
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