Dang, March 6 -- Vote counting has begun in Dang constituency number 1, with Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Devraj Pathak taking an early lead.

Out of 2,226 votes counted so far at the Lamahi Municipality hall, Pathak has secured 1,515 votes. Nepali Congress candidate Yogendra Chaudhary has 292 votes, while CPN-UML candidate Rewatiraman Sharma has received 220 votes.

Other candidates include Nepali Communist Party's Metmani Chaudhary with 88 votes, Rastriya Janamorcha's Ganesh Acharya with 48 votes, and independent candidate and former Lumbini Province chief minister Kul Prasad KC with 13 votes.

Dang-1 has 140,001 registered voters, including 70,554 men, 69,446 women, and 1 other. A total of 80,920 ballots have been cast, represent...