Bail forfeited for five candidates including former minister in Bajura

Bajura: The bail of five candidates has been forfeited following the announcement of the final results of the House of Representatives elections held on Falgun 21. Out of eight candidates contesting in the constituency, five failed to cross the required threshold, leading to the seizure of their deposits.

Under Section 64 of Chapter 10 of the Election Act, a candidate who secures less than 10 percent of the total valid votes in a first-past-the-post system loses their deposit. Among those affected, Nepali Communist Party candidate and former Sudurpaschim Province minister Prakash Bahadur Shah had his bail seized.

According to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, the constituency has 87,861 registered voters, with 45,242 votes cast. Of these, 43,896 votes were valid while 1,346 were invalid. To retain his deposit, Shah needed at least 4,389 votes, but he received only 3,424 votes, finishing in fourth place. Shah had previously won from Bajura Province (B) in the 2074 elections, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Padam Shahi by 18,186 votes.

Alongside Shah, the deposits of Rastriya Prajatantra Party candidate Keshar Bahadur Shahi, Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) candidate Bhupendra Lwar, Progressive Democratic Party candidate Dik Kumar DC, and independent candidate Upendra Shahi were also forfeited. Their respective vote counts were 352, 233, 97, and 72.