Miscellaneous
Voter list update: 14 districts get extra time
The Election Commission has extended the deadline for updating the voter list in 14 districts until February 11 after it failed to complete the works by January 28.The Election Commission has extended the deadline for updating the voter list in 14 districts until February 11 after it failed to complete the works by January 28.
The districts where the working period has been extended are Bhojpur, Morang, Udayapur, Dhanusha, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchok, Gulmi, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Rolpa, Pyuthan and Surkhet.
The EC said the deadline was extended because the updating process was delayed due to protests in Province 5 over the constitution amendment bill registered by the government in Parliament and the report of the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC) in some places. The Voter List Collection Management Committee headed by the chief district officers of the 14 districts had sought more time for completing the task considering the ground reality.
“In case of districts such as Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and Nawalparasi, the protests against the amendment bill affected the voter updating process,” said Surya Prasad Sharma, the EC spokesperson.
Protests against the LLRC report have affected the list updating process in one Village Development Committee in Nuwakot although the process has already been over in other areas of the district.
Although the government has yet to declare the election dates, the EC has been making preparations for the polls. Sharma said the District Election Offices have been instructed to complete the updates by clearing the claims related to voter eligibility by February 11 and submit all the data within the next week.
The updating process is important not only since all the eligible voters are enrolled but also because ineligible voters are delisted.
The election authority is updating the voter list after a gap of three years.
The EC, which initiated the first phase of updates on November 11 last year, has renewed the lists in 21 Mountain districts. Those attaining 18 years of age by mid-October last year have been enrolled.
The recently passed Bill to Amend and Integrate Laws related to the Election Commission allows voter registration until the election date is declared. According to the constitutional body, it hardly faced any obstruction in its work despite the protests.