The EVM used in the polling booth set up at Saraswati Higher Secondary School (B) in Mahadevsthan under Kathmandu-2 did not accept the vote cast by a voter in the beginning, thereby delaying the starting of voting at the booth.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nilkantha Upreti, who happened to be there to oversee the voting process, tried to bring the EVM into order but to no avail. As a result, the replacement EVM was immediately produced and voting resumed.

A mobile team has been mobilized to address any such incidents of malfunctioning of the EVMs, said CEC Upreti on the occasion.

It may be noted that the Election Commission has been using EVMs in all the four electoral constituencies were the by-election is underway today.

Record of voters rejecting to vote to be maintained

A record would be maintained if any voter decides against voting after having his/her name in the voters' roll approved (a tick mark put by the volunteer), and the same will be dispatched to the Election Commission.

As there is no provision of 'No Vote' in the by-election, a separate form shall be filled up for such voters and the record will be sent to the EC, said Chief Returning Officer at the District Election Office, Chitwan Binod Mohan Acharya.

The polling officers had been trained for the same and a similar communiqué has been sent to all the centres, Acharya added.

An agreement has also been reached among the political parties on the matter, said polling officer at the Bharatpur Polling Booth, Ghanashyam Upadhyaya. However, as of this hour we have not come across any such voter, he added.