The ruling Nepali Congress on Monday won the first seat for the House of Representatives as the counting of votes for the parliamentary and provincial elections began amid tight security.

The counting started at 7am local time and will continue till 5 pm, a day after about 61 per cent polling was recorded across the Himalayan nation. Officials from the Election Commission, representatives of parties and the media are present at the centres. Recording of votes for constituencies 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 of Kathmandu, all constituencies of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur has begun, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.

Likewise, counting has also begun in Kaski, Jhapa, Mustang, Saptari, Banke, Rupandehi and Nawalparasi west, it said. The Nepali Congress (NC) opened its account as its candidate Yogesh Gauchan Thakali has been elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Mustang.

Gauchan secured 3,992 votes against his nearest rival Prem Tulachan of CPN-UML, who secured 3,078, according to the Election Commission. The vote counting in Taplejung has been delayed as helicopter companies expressed the inability to airlift the ballot boxes from remote areas in the district.

The District Election Management Committee said that the ballot boxes of Olangchungola, Yangma, Gybla and Ghunsa polling stations of Paktanglung Rural Municipality Ward No 6 and 7 are being brought through land route, Republica newspaper reported.

Yangma is the most remote polling station in the district. The team that walked from the capital Fungling to conduct voting reached Yangma, which lies at an altitude of 4,200 meters, in four days. A total of 12 of the total 61 votes were cast in the area. Meanwhile, four police personnel died and eight others were injured when their jeep veered off a hilly road.