KATHMANDU: The Election Commission on Monday directed the Chief Returning Officer of Chitwan to fix date for re-polling in all polling centres of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-19.

EC's Spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma said that a meeting of the EC decided to direct the chief returning officer to determine the location, date and time for the re-polling in the ward.

Likewise, the Chief Returning Officer has been directed to make provisions for required security situation and vote counting stations after the completion of the voting, added Sharma.

EC directed the chief returning officer of Chitwan to fix the date after the Supreme Court on Sunday stayed the Election Commission decision to hold re-polling in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-19.

Earlier, on June 3 the Election Commission had made the decision to hold re-polling in the Metroplis-19.

The cadres affiliated to CPN-Maoist Centre had torn 90 ballot papers during the counting of vote of ward number 19 on May 29, as a result of which the vote counting was halted.

Maoist cadres Maoist cadres Drona Babu Siwakoti and Madhu Neupane allegedly tore the ballot papers as their Mayoral candidate Renu Dahal was lagging behind UML candidate Devi Gyawali by 755 votes.

The vote counting of ward number 19 was almost over before the Maoist resorted to untoward activities. Of the total 29 wards in the Metropolis, the vote counting of all wards have been concluded except ward no. 19 and 20.

Earlier, the Election Commission had decided to hold re-polling in Bharatpur -19 after the fracas.

However, the Supreme Court on Sunday upheld the EC’s decision to conduct re-polling in Ward no. 19 of Bharatpur Metropolis.

A division bench of Justices Om Prakash Mishra and Purushottam Bhandari quashed the writ petition filed by CPN-UML ward member candidate for Bharatpur-19 Gunjaman BK, and advocate Tulsiram Pandey against the EC decision to conduct re-election.

Earlier, a single bench of Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana on June 5 had issued an interim order telling the EC not to implement its June 2 decision to hold re-polling in Bharatpur Metropolis-19.

Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre had forged an electoral alliance to contain CPN-UML in the Metropolis.

UML had fielded Devi Gyawali and Maoist had fielded Renu Dahal daughter of then PM and CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.