Kathmandu, April 9

The Election Commission today said that four districts of Province 2 have finalised polling stations for the local level elections slated for May 14.

Out of eight districts in Province 2, Bara, Parsa, Dhanusha, and Sarlahi districts have sent reports finalising polling stations.

The EC said the remaining four districts — Mahottari, Siraha, Saptari and Rautahat would finalise polling stations by tomorrow.

“Our local committees led by chief district officers are trying their best to forge political consensus on polling stations,” EC Spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma told The Himalayan Times. He said local committees that comprised representatives of political parties had given their consent on polling stations in the districts, which sent the report to the EC. He however, did not confirm whether or not the representatives of agitating parties gave their consent on the polling stations.

Earlier, the commission had asked all its district offices to submit report on polling stations by March 23. Apart from Mahottari, Siraha, Saptari, Rautahat, Dhanusha, and Sarlahi districts, other districts had sent the report on polling stations within the given deadline.  Bara and Parsa districts of Province 2 sent their report even though other districts of the province failed to forge consensus.

The election body had warned that it could not wait too long for political consensus and would maintain polling stations of the second Constituent Assembly elections held in 2013 in six districts of Province 2, if political parties failed to forge consensus on the same. The EC has resumed printing ballot papers of eight districts of Province-2. “The commission does not have additional time to wait for political consensus,” said EC Commissioner Narendra Dahal. The EC, which had already completed printing ballot papers of 67 districts, resumed printing ballot papers of districts of Province 2 from today, according to Dahal.

The EC said it would print 15.4 million ballot papers for the local level polls.

Meanwhile, 44 parties, including the Upendra Yadav-led Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal and Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar-led Madhesi Rights Forum-Democratic have submitted authorised signatures of leaders to the EC.

The Yadav-led FSF-N is the main constituent of the United Democratic Madhesi Front, an alliance of agitating Madhesi parties, which have threatened to disrupt local level elections if they were held without addressing issues put forth by them.

The Commission has asked all the parties to submit authorised signatures of their leaders by April 12, which is needed to confirm the applications of candidates. “We hope the remaining parties will also submit authorised signatures of their parties by the given deadline,” he said.

Out of 111 parties registered at the EC, 81 have applied to contest in the local level elections. The EC said it would

impart training to chief election officers and election officers in seven places across the country. Sharma said that EC commissioners including Chief Commissioner Aayodhi Prasad Yadav would inaugurate a two-day training in Biratnagar, Sindhuli, Hetauda, Dhulikhel, Pokhara, Surkhett and Dhangadi.

According to Sharma, Chief Commissioner Yadav will inaugurate the training in Dhulikhel; Commissioner Narendra Dahal will address the training in Biratnagar, EC Secretary Gopinath Mainali will address Sindhuli’s training, commissioner Ishwori Poudel will inaugurate the training in Pokhara. Likewise commissioners Sudhir Shah and Ila Sharma will respectively address the training programme in Surkhet and Dhangadi. The EC said that Chief Commissioner Yadav would address closing session of the training in Dhangadhi.

The EC said that chief election officers would be district judges and the executive officers of municipalities and rural municipalities would be election officers.