Seventeen votes were cast in the name of the deceased at the Mukrab Devi Secondary School centre in Borang, Rubyvalley Rural Municipality during the first phase of federal parliamentary and provincial assembly elections.

Eight of them had died natural deaths, eight were killed in the April, 2015 earthquake and one had committed suicide. Their names were not removed from the electoral roll.

A local youth said party supporters had voted in the name of the deceased and also some people working abroad.

Around three dozen youths of Borang, home to former home minister Buddhiman Tamang, are out of the country for jobs. With 815 listed voters, 809 votes were cast on November 26.

Election Officer Hom Prasad Sitaula said he did not know all of the voters. “It’s a geographically remote area,” said Sitaula, adding that the voters had shown their IDs on the polling day. “The election was peaceful.”