KATHMANDU, APRIL 14

The Election Commission issued a press release today urging all stakeholders not to express doubt about the local polls slated for May 13.

The poll panel's remarks came on the heels of CPN- UML leaders' remarks that the government was conspiring to use security threat posed by Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal to defer local polls.

EC Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel said the EC's attention was drawn to political leaders' doubt that local polls might be deferred. He said preparation for polls was going on in full swing and no one should doubt that the polls would not be held on time.

Paudel said that the EC had printed 7,033,000 ballot papers for 39 districts and it was printing 800,000 ballot papers daily. The EC will have to print 19,400,000 ballot papers for the upcoming polls.

Sixty-five organisations have filed their applications at the EC seeking its permission to observe the polls.

Paudel said there were more than 20,000 proposed poll observers and the EC would take a call on the issue after making certain enquiries.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 15, 2022, of The Himalayan Times