 "Nepal's border points with India sealed for 72hrs ahead of by-polls")
Nepal's border points with India in the country's southern Bara district have been sealed for 72 hours in view of the by-election in Bara-2 constituency on Sunday.
Nepal's Election Commission is conducting by-elections for the House of Representatives in the three constituencies of Tanhun-1, Chitawan-2 and Bara-2.
The District Administration Office in Bara said in a statement on Thursday that the border points shall remain closed from midnight of Thursday to Sunday midnight.
The sale and supply of liquor have been restricted in the district until the vote counting is completed.
Also, vehicular movement along the Postal Highway in the district has been closed except for emergency ones from Saturday midnight to Sunday 7 pm.
As the by-polls draw close, political parties displayed their strength by organising rallies for the last time on Thursday.
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The ruling coalition held election rallies in Chitwan and Bara on Thursday.
Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister and CPN-Maoist Centre chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and senior leaders of the alliance addressed the rallies in a bid to woo votes for their common candidates.
The newly formed Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) has fielded its candidates in all three constituencies.
Journalist-turned-politician Ravi Lamichhane is contesting the -election from Chitawan-2 while prominent economist Swornim Wagley and former Deputy Police Chief Ramesh Kharel are contesting from Tanhun-1 and Bara-2 constituencies.
Lamichhane, who had lost his Parliament Member and Deputy Prime Minister's post due to the citizenship certificate controversy, is contesting a by-election from Chitwan-2.
The main competition is between RSP and the common candidates from the ruling alliance.In Tanhun-1, economist Wagle is contesting against Nepali Congress candidate Govinda Bhattarai, who is backed by the ruling alliance.
In Chitwan-2, Lamichhane is contesting against Nepali Congress candidate Jit Narayan Shrestha, who is also the common candidate of the ruling alliance.
In Bara-2 Ramesh Kharel is contesting against Upendra Yadav, the chairman of Rastriya Janata Party Nepal, backed by the ruling alliance.
The constituencies felt vacant after Ramchandra Paudel, who got elected from Tanahun-1, and Ramshay Prasad Yadav, who had won from Bara-2, resigned their HoR positions after getting elected as the President and the Vice President, respectively.
The Chitaan-2 constituency fell vacant after the Supreme Court invalidated the citizenship certificate of Lamichhane, who had won the seat in the November 20 elections.
The by-elections in the three constituencies have become a prestige issue for both the ruling alliance and the fourth largest party RSP, which has not yet withdrawn its support to the Prachanda-led coalition government, though its ministers had already quit the government.