Accustomed to incidents of booth capture and voter manipulation, people in Bajura and Bajhang doubt the situation will be different this time. In past elections, incidents of rigging, booth capture, clashes between groups and even murders have left deep scars among people in these districts.

Bir Bahadur Katuwal, a local resident and former campus chief of Badimalika Campus, recalls that parties with numerical strength often relied on muscle power rather than persuasion.

“When I reached the polling station in the 2022 election, someone else had already cast my vote,” said Katuwal, who currently teaches at the same campus.

“In Bajura, there is a tendency to cast proxy ballots, vote on behalf of persons with disabilities, cast votes in the names of absent voters, engage in clashes and rigging, and even collusion by election staff,” he said. “Even vigilant voters are monitored, making it easy to imagine the situation faced by ordinary citizens.”

“There is a history of activists from both major parties—CPN-UML and Nepali Congress—being involved in booth capture in their respective strongholds,” Katuwal said, expressing hope that voters would be able to cast their ballots freely this time.

Siddha Devi Singh, 47, of Jayaprithvi Municipality–1, said she has never been able to cast her vote herself. “Eight elections, including local polls, have been held in the village since I got married, but I have not been able to cast my vote in any of them,” said Singh, who studied up to Grade 6 and actively uses social media, including Facebook.

“They come to my house and take me to vote, make me stand in the queue. But when it’s time to vote, they snatch the ballot, saying, ‘You might spoil it, we’ll vote for you.’ Others cast the vote and only put the ink on my nail,” she said.

Dalli Devi Singh, another voter from Jayaprithvi Municipality–1 in Bajhang, shared similar concerns. “By the time I reach the polling station, others will already have cast my vote,” she said. “In previous elections, they snatched the ballot saying I don’t know how to vote. It happens every time.”

Security agencies, however, claim to have prepared tight arrangements for the upcoming elections. Sudurpaschim Provincial Police Chief DIG Om Bahadur Rana said Bajura and Bajhang are on high alert.

“We are discussing increasing the number of security personnel, monitoring polling stations through CCTV, and using drone cameras,” Rana said. “We are also addressing management issues, including identifying voters with disabilities who require assistance.”

Armed Police Force’s Sudurpaschim Acting Chief DIG Digbijaya Subedi said arrangements have been made to deploy double the number of patrol teams in both districts. Bajura Chief District Officer Dorendra Niraula said preparations are underway to ensure that the district’s troubled electoral past does not repeat.

“We are also discussing the use of drone cameras at polling stations and will install CCTV cameras extensively,” Niraula said. “Along with increasing security personnel, election staff are being provided special training.”

Bajura has witnessed election-related incidents in every poll since 1991. During the 2022 House of Representatives election, two youths were killed. Voting day was marred by clashes, vandalism of polling stations, stone pelting, chasing of voters and firing by security forces at dozens of polling stations. Major political parties later claimed that 24 polling stations had been captured.

On voting day, Sanjeev Ayadi, a Nepali Congress supporter, was shot dead by police at a polling station in Triveni Municipality–6. Later that night, Chetan Ayadi, a central member of the UML-backed ANNFSU from Triveni Municipality–7, was beaten to death by locals. Vote counting began only after 14 days.

Not only the 2022 and 2017 elections, but most earlier polls have also witnessed rigging and clashes. In the 1997 local elections, two people, including a minor, were killed in Budhiganga after gunfire erupted during clashes.

During the 2022 local elections, several polling stations in Bajura remained tense, and re-polling was conducted in Budhiganga Municipality after irregularities were reported.

Fake voting has also been a persistent issue in Bajura and Bajhang. Bajura recorded the highest voter turnout in the 2017 local elections, with more than 99 percent voting in some polling stations in Budhiganga Municipality. Similar turnout figures were reported in other polling stations across the district. Around 80 percent turnout was recorded again during the 2017 federal and provincial elections.

In the 2022 elections, voting was postponed after two polling stations in Surma Rural Municipality–1 and 2 were captured and fake votes were attempted. A clash also broke out at Gurelthum polling station in Chhabispathivara–1, where a police officer was injured when police fired to control the situation.

Fake voting was also reported at a polling station in Kedarsyun Rural Municipality–2 during the 2022 elections. Nayan Bohara, secretary of the UML’s Bajhang district committee, alleged rigged voting after Prashant Bhandari, their representative, was taken under control.

While residents fear that free and fair voting may not be possible in the upcoming elections, Bajura Chief District Officer Dorendra Niraula said all necessary precautions have been taken.

“Out of the 77 polling stations, 62 are classified as highly sensitive, 12 as sensitive and only three as normal,” he said. “Despite this, we are confident the election will be conducted peacefully.”

Bajhang Chief District Officer Mukesh Kumar Kesari said that out of 137 polling stations in the district, 85 have been listed as highly sensitive and 49 as sensitive, with only three considered normal. He said the district’s security situation has been analysed thoroughly.

“We have prepared our security strategy after carefully reviewing past records and the current situation,” Kesari said. “No one should even think of booth capture or fake voting in this election.”

He added that joint teams of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the Nepal Army will be deployed throughout the election at highly sensitive polling stations, particularly those that take more than 30 minutes for security teams to reach.

In the upcoming elections, eight candidates are contesting in Bajura: Janakraj Giri (Nepali Congress), Lal Bahadur Thapa (CPN-UML), Prakash Shah (Nepali Communist Party), Hemraj Thapa (Rastriya Swatantra Party), Keshar Bahadur Shahi (Rastriya Prajatantra Party), Bhupendra BK (CPN-Maoist), Deepak DC (Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party) and Upendra Shahi, an independent.

In Bajhang, Ain Mahar (UML), Prakash Rasaili Snehi (Congress), Min Bahadur Kuwar (Nepali Communist Party), Shailesh Kumar Singh (Rastriya Swatantra Party), Bishwa Jethara (Rastriya Prajatantra Party), Bharat Malla (CPN-Maoist) and Dal Bahadur Dhami (Rastriya Janamorcha) are in the race for the House of Representatives.