Kathmandu, April 13

The Election Commission said it would deploy more than 21,000 voter educators across the country from tomorrow with a view to making voters aware and reducing bogus votes in the local level elections slated for May 14.

The election body said voter educators would reach every household with voter education materials before the end of “electoral silence period”.

“They will invite voters to take part in polling, teach them how to vote and tell them about the importance of local elections,” said EC Joint Secretary Nabaraj Dhakal. He said the commission had imparted training to more than 21,000 voter educators and each of them had been tasked with reaching at least 1,000 households.

The EC said it would start dispatching electoral materials to districts after April 23, as printing of ballot papers, voter identity cards and voter rolls would be completed soon.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has provided stationery and other poll-related materials worth Rs 144 million. During a ceremony held at Tribhuvan International Airport yesterday, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong handed over poll paraphernalia to Election Commission Secretary Gopinath Mainali.

The EC said gel pens, stamp pads, ink, table clocks, calculators, scales, punching machines, mats, glue-sticks and rubbers were among the materials provided by China for use in polls. The poll panel said it would supply those materials to districts with other electoral materials, such as ballot papers, voter identity cards, electoral rolls and voter education materials.

The EC stated that as part of a deal signed with a Chinese contractor, 30,000 ballot boxes had arrived at Rasuwagadi customs point from China.