Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Vote counting has begun in the Ilam-2 seat of the House of Representatives and the Bajhang-1(A) seat of the Sudurpashchim Province Assembly.
Although an all-party meeting had decided to begin counting at 11 am, it was delayed and began only recently. Votes are being counted at two locations at the Gautam Buddha City Hall located in Ilam Municipality-7.
According to District Election Officer Keshav Prasad Ghimire, ballot papers from Phakphokthum Rural Municipality are currently being counted. “Most probably, we will get the results by Monday evening,” he added. “We will release counting updates every hour.”
A total of 69,287 votes have been cast in Ilam-2, according to Ghimire.
A total of 19 candidates, including seven independent candidates, are in the fray.
Meanwhile, the counting of votes cast in Bajhang-1(A) seat is underway on the premises of the Bajhang District Court. Here also, counting is underway at two locations, according to District Election Officer Man Bahadur Dhami.
About 50% of the 61,748 registered voters cast their votes in Bajhang-1(A), according to the Election Commission.
Eleven candidates are in the fray in the constituency.
