All 81 Polling Stations in Sarlahi 4 Marked Highly Sensitive

Ahead of the February 21 House of Representatives elections, all 81 polling stations in Sarlahi 4 have been classified as highly sensitive. This constituency is where Nepali Congress President and prime ministerial candidate Gagan Thapa is contesting.

The Sarlahi District Security Committee has placed 158 of the district’s 312 polling stations as highly sensitive and 131 as sensitive. The decision comes after the area’s history of election-related violence, including booth takeovers, clashes, and bomb blasts, which has made security a major concern.

Sarlahi 4 shares a 64 kilometer open border with India, connecting Balara and Gadaita municipalities as well as Vishnupur and Ramnagar rural municipalities to Indian territory. Officials say the border is not the only reason for the high sensitivity. Past elections have seen incidents of violence during voting and counting, including injuries and fatalities, such as the 2008 bomb blast outside Gadhiya polling center.

Security forces have increased patrols, monitoring, and emergency response teams. The Nepal Police reported that only 64 of 334 registered firearms have been surrendered, raising concerns about illegal weapons. The Nepal Army is also conducting regular patrols to maintain law and order.

The sensitivity is further driven by the intense rivalry among key candidates, including Gagan Thapa, Amaresh Kumar Singh, who won as an independent in 2022, and the Yadav family, now represented by Amanish Kumar of CPN-UML. Authorities are on high alert to prevent any clashes, booth takeovers, or election-related violence in the constituency.