Phase II poll preparations complete: CEC

Kathmandu, June 13

Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav today said that preparations for second phase of local level elections scheduled for June 28 had been completed.

Addressing an interaction in Kathmandu, CEC Yadav said elections would be held in more than 12,000 polling centres of 461 local levels of 41 districts of Provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7 on the stipulated date.

He said  the poll panel did not have any problem holding elections and added that the EC had already supplied electoral materials — ballot papers, ballot boxes, indelible ink and other items, deployed officials including chief returning officers, returning officers and others for elections..

Yadav said attempts to forge consensus between the government and agitating Madhesi parties continues.

“Political environment for the polls could not be made despite the government’s continuous effort to forge consensus with the agitating forces,” said Yadav.

He said the EC held discussion with the Ministry of Home Affairs and security agencies to ensure poll security.

He further said the EC had decided to deploy joint-secretaries to monitor poll code violations and resolve local disputes. The EC has started imparting training to those joint-secretaries.

Yadav said the Madhesi people would actively take part in the second phase of local level elections as they wanted to use their right to elect their local representatives.

According to CEC Yadav, the Election Commission could not provide ‘umbrella’ election symbol to Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, as all ballot papers were already printed and supplied to the respective districts.