The Nepali Congress completed counting votes for all positions in its 15th general convention on Friday morning, after announcing the final results for Madhesh and Bagmati provinces.

The counting began on the night of October 9 and concluded after a week. Raju Katuwal, member secretary of the party’s Election Committee, said counting for central committee members representing Lumbini and Gandaki provinces, the Kathmandu Valley, labour groups, families of martyrs and conflict victims had been completed overnight.

Counting for the joint general secretary positions, as well as open and women’s central committee seats under the Khas Arya and Tharu categories, also finished overnight.

The committee was verifying the results before making them public, Katuwal said. Counting for the remaining positions had already been completed.

The party began counting votes for its president on the night of October 9, the day polling was held. The results of the presidential election, counted at the City Hall in Kathmandu, were announced early the next morning.

Counting for the other positions began on the night of October 10 at the party’s central office in BP Nagar, Sanepa.

Katuwal said the counting had taken 12 days during the party’s 14th general convention, when around 7,700 delegates voted. This time, votes cast by 7,392 delegates were counted in a week.

According to Katuwal, the committee deployed nearly 25 teams working in shifts throughout the day and night from the start of the counting process.

He said the election and counting had proceeded smoothly, without disputes.

The committee had to count nearly 162,000 ballot papers this time, he said. A total of 229 positions were contested across 77 categories, with each voter required to cast ballots on 23 separate ballot papers.

The party plans to distribute certificates to the elected members and organise their swearing-in ceremony shortly after Dashain. Party leaders said the newly elected central committee would hold its first meeting after the ceremony.