• All municipalities have been directed to set up joint ward offices with their counterparts

Kathmandu, December 10

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has directed Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and all district development committees, sub-metropolitan cities and municipalities to extend necessary cooperation to the Election Commission in relation to the operation and implementation of the ‘Programme for Collecting and Updating Electoral Rolls (Including Claim and Objection) and Criteria of Expenditure, 2016.’

The EC has been conducting the Programme for Collecting and Updating Electoral Rolls in 21 mountain and remote districts from November 11 in the first phase and will conduct it in remaining 54 districts from December 16 in the second phase.

The programme is scheduled to continue till January 28, 2017. The EC has deputed work force to as many as 6,210 venues for voter registration in all wards of VDCs and municipalities of 75 districts.

“As many of the newly declared municipalities are yet to establish their ward offices, they have not been able to provide for necessary employees to cooperate with the EC in collecting and updating the electoral rolls. Therefore, all municipalities are directed to establish joint ward offices with their newly declared counterparts to ensure that EC programme will not be affected,” read the letter.

According to the EC, it had approved the programme on October 6 for the purpose of developing final electoral rolls by updating details of eligible voters and entertaining claims and objections.

If any voter considers that the name of any person cannot be included in the electoral rolls, such a voter may make an application objecting thereto, accompanied by reasons thereof.

The enrolment officers may remove the name of such person from the electoral rolls under valid reasons upon making inquiry into the matter.

After completing the process of making claim, objection and holding inquires and making changes, enrolment officers prepare the final electoral rolls of the concerned constituency and publish the same within the time prescribed by the EC.

No alteration, change or correction of any kind is made in the final electoral rolls once it is published.

The Election Commission has not prepared final electoral rolls by fulfilling the requirement to entertain the claim and objection since the second Constituent Assembly polls held in 2014.