Security has been placed on high alert in Jhapa district, where UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior leader of the National Independent Party, Balendra Shah, are running.
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Security arrangements have been tightened in Koshi Province in view of the elections to be held on Thursday. The security strategy has been further tightened by placing hundreds of polling stations in the province on a highly sensitive list based on potential risks, according to provincial security sources.
According to Koshi Province Police Chief DIG Binod Ghimire, out of 1,907 polling stations across the province, 439 are on the highly sensitive list. There are 4,270 polling stations under these polling stations. Out of which, 1,016 centers are on the high-risk list.
DIG Ghimire said that the security classification has been made based on a review of past incidents, proximity to international borders, number of voters, intensity of political activities, geographical remoteness and analysis of potential risks.
According to security sources, 821 polling stations (1,869 centers) have been placed on the sensitive list and 647 polling stations (1,385 centers) on the general list.
A three-tier security perimeter has been implemented to make the election safe and orderly. Nepal Police and Election Police will be deployed in the first perimeter, Armed Police Force in the second perimeter, and Nepal Army in the third and outer perimeter.
About 50,000 security personnel have been mobilized in Koshi. Of which, Nepal Police has 12,000 and Election Police has about 25,000. Armed Police and Nepal Army have also been mobilized in about 10,000. Security personnel have been mobilized in all polling stations.
There are 28 constituencies in 14 districts of Koshi. Morang has the highest number of 6, Jhapa has 5, and Sunsari has 4 constituencies. Ilam and Udayapur have 2/2, and Taplejung, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Solukhumbu, Khotang, and Okhaldhunga have 1/1 constituency each.
Three Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of Nepal Police have been deployed in Koshi for election security monitoring and coordination. Gyanendra Phuyal has been deployed in Morang-Sunsari area, Govinda Adhikari in Jhapa-Ilam and Yogendra Singh Thapa in Udayapur-Khotang area.
There are a total of 35,74,310 voters in Koshi province. Out of which 1,828,213 are male, 1,746,073 are female and 24 are other voters.
‘High alert’ in Jhapa
Security arrangements have been put on ‘high alert’ in Jhapa, the district where UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior leader of the National Independent Party Balendra Shah are candidates.
As there will be an electoral contest between KP and Balendra, the security alert in the entire district has been tightened.
In Jhapa alone, around 9,000 security personnel including Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army and Election Police have been deployed. Policemen from the intelligence agency National Investigation Agency and others have also been deployed in plain clothes. Only around a dozen bomb disposal teams have been deployed.
Out of 285 polling stations in Jhapa, 95 are highly sensitive, 147 are sensitive and 43 are on the general list. Jhapa SP Vasundhara Khadka said that security has been managed on that basis.
