A ballot box caught fire at a polling centre in Swamikartik Rural Municipality-1 of Bajura district on Sunday.

According to polling officer Ram Kumar Yadav, the ballot box of proportional ballots under the provincial poll caught fire in Swamikartik Rural Municipality polling station (A). “It is not clear how the incident happened. We saw smoke billowing from the ballot box,” said Yadav.

A total of 528 votes were cast before the incident occurred. According to the data available at the district election office, there are 840 voters in the polling centre.

It is yet to be ascertained how many ballot papers were damaged in the inferno. “Investigation is underway into the incident,” said Yadav. The security personnel have not detained any suspects as of now.