Kathmandu, May 31
The main opposition CPN-UML on Wednesday obstructed the Parliament meeting demanding immediate resumption of vote counting in Bharatpur Metropolitan City of Chitwan district.
Some Maoist cadres had reportedly torn the ballot papers in Bharatpur on Sunday midnight, resulting in an indefinite halt in the counting.
The opposition party has been claiming that ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre were involved in the incident and they created the disturbance after fearing their loss.
The Congress-Maoist alliance and the UML were neck and neck in the mayoral competition before the voting was halted.
As soon as the House meeting began today, UML lawmaker Surendra Pandey sought time to speak and said the incident was an attack on democratic norms and values.
He also warned that the party would declare its mayoral candidate Devi Gyawali as the winner if the vote counting was not resumed at the earliest.
After Pandey’s speek, other lawmakers of the party stood up from their chairs, forcing the Speaker to repeatedly urge them to sit down and help her resume the House meeting.
The lawmakers, however, did not pay any heed and hence the Speaker adjourned the meeting till Thursday.
The House meeting was scheduled to begin discussions on the annual budget statement presented by Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara on Monday.
