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PM asks EC to gear up for state, fed polls
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged the Election Commission to prepare for the federal and provincial polls, assuring poll officials that the Constituency Delimitation Commission and necessary electoral laws would be in place soon.Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged the Election Commission to prepare for the federal and provincial polls, assuring poll officials that the Constituency Delimitation Commission and necessary electoral laws would be in place soon.
In a meeting with election commissioners at his office on Sunday, the PM said the delimitation commission will be formed within two weeks or less than that. Election commissioners asked Deuba to announce the date for provincial and federal parliamentary elections three months in advance.
“The PM assured us that the Constituency Delimitation Commission will be formed within a week,” Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav, who led the delegation, told journalists.
Earlier, the EC had asked the government to provide the report of the commission by July 30 after proposing a tentative date for the polls including for the National Assembly.
The EC maintains that the three elections must be held by the third week of November, after which a harsh winter makes it impossible for the polls to be held in Mountain districts. There is a constitutional requirement for holding the elections before the tenure of the Legislature-Parliament expires on January 21 next year. The government’s delay in forming the commission prompted the EC’s move.
The poll officials also sought early endorsement of the bills on the Election of House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly registered with the parliamentary secretariat. “The PM assured us that the parliamentary process to pass the bills will be fast-tracked,” said Election Commissioner Narendra Dahal. The poll authority had sought the bills by July 15.
Deuba also made it clear that the number of electoral constituencies would be limited to 165, dismissing reports that he had proposed continuation of the current 240 constituencies for Federal Parliament.
Yadav said the PM had urged the EC to gear up for the polls, promising all necessary help from the government. The commission also informed the PM about its logistical requirements.