Kathmandu, August 24

The Election Commission said today it had registered over 1.3 million new voters.

The poll panel, however, said that the exact number was yet to be ascertained. “We are yet to receive data from several local levels,” said Chandra Sibakoti, an official at EC. He said more than 82,000 new voters had registered their names on the electoral roll in Kathmandu Metropolitan City alone.

Chandra Gautam, chief of Regional Election Office, Kathmandu, said more than 143,000 new voters had been registered in the three districts of Kathmandu Valley.

The poll panel said it would provide identity cards to new voters and include their names on the electoral roll. The EC had registered new voters in local levels level across the country from July 30 to August 20.

Meanwhile, a meeting of EC office bearers here today decided to hold elections of district coordination committees in Rukum and Nawalparasi districts.

As per the Cabinet decision on Monday, east of Bardaghat Susta of Nawalparasi district of Province 4 and west of Bardaghat Susta of Nawalparasi district of Province 5 have become two districts. Likewise, east of Rukum in Province 5 and west of Rukum in Province 6 have become two districts.

According to a press release issued by EC Spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma, the poll panel has decided to write to the Ministry of Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to provide names of four district judges to hold election of district coordination committees in those districts.

The EC also directed the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development to manage office of district coordination committees and local development officers in the aforementioned four districts.

The EC has also decided to entrust chief returning officer of Chitwan district with holding election of the district coordination committee.

The EC meeting also decided to allow only those voters, who reached 18 years of age on August 21, to cast their votes in the provincial and parliamentary polls.