After the ballot boxes were taken to the district headquarters Gaur on a Bolero jeep, used by a candidate for his campaign, various party activists protested, accusing exchange of ballot boxes on the way.

Six boxes containing ballot papers of the Janata Primary School Gamhariya centre in Gadhimai Municipality-4 were taken to Gaur in the vehicle (Ba 17 Cha 697). Left alliance candidate Banshidhar Mishra had hired the jeep during the election campaign in Constituency-4.

The rival party charged that the ballot boxes were changed in collusion with the local administration and security personnel while being taken to the Judda Higher Secondary School premises, the counting centre, at 11pm on Thursday.

Amid a dispute, election officials and security personnel stored the ballot boxes at the centre. Arguments continued for an hour between the opposition party and employees at the counting centre.

They alleged that the ballot boxes were ferried to the counting centre without security personnel.

Chief District Officer Uddhav Bahadur Thapa, however, said they used the vehicle after the candidate stopped hiring it.

“It’s not the candidate’s vehicle. The jeep was used to carry the ballot boxes after large trucks could not be taken there,” said CDO Thapa. All the ballot boxes were sealed in the presence of party representatives, he claimed.