Even though the midterm elections planned for November hang in the balance over the constitutionality of the House dissolution move, the Election Commission is making preparations to procure materials required to hold the polls.

On May 21, President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives for the second time in five months and announced mid-term elections for November 12 and 19 on the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The constitutionality of the President’s move is being heard at the Supreme Court, raising the question if the elections would be held on set dates.

But the commission has said that it would start the procurement process next week after the Finance Ministry approved Rs7.72 billion for holding the elections.

In a statement, the ministry said it approved the budget for the commission to procure election materials and election management. This budget however does not cover the expenses for security arrangements for the polls.

“We are planning to issue a tender next week for all the goods required for holding the elections, except for ballot boxes which we have in adequate number,” said Raj Kumar Shrestha, spokesperson at the commission. The commission is currently preparing the specifications for over 50 types of goods to be procured.

Some of the items that the election body plans to procure are ballot box stickers, identity cards, poll books, security seals, rubber stamps, voting stamps, markers, stamp pad and ink, polythene bag and shack, photocopy paper; gluesticks, stapler machines, scales and scissors and pens.

“Besides these materials, we will also procure medical goods considering the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Komal Dhamala, assistant spokesperson at the commission.

After approving the working procedure on election expenditure, the Finance Ministry had decided to release the budget for holding the elections. According to the election body, the working procedure has talked about allocation of the budget for different tasks of election management.

When President Bhandari on December 20 last year dissolved the House and announced elections for April 30 and May 10, the commission had issued a tender notice for procurement of 11 different types of election materials on February 23.

But, on the same day, the Supreme Court reinstated the House forcing the commission to scrap its plan to procure election materials.

It was forced to prepare for the polls when the President once again dissolved the House in May.

Officials at the election body say though the House dissolution case is being challenged in the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, as the constitutional body to hold the elections, cannot say no to holding elections.

Besides procuring election materials, the commission is also updating voters’ lists in different districts. When the updating process was concluded in January for the planned elections in April and May, the total number of voters were 16.3 million.

“More voters will be added for the elections in November,” said Dhamala.

According to him, there will be around 22,000 polling centres for the upcoming elections.

Considering the health risks due to Covid-19, the commission is also preparing health and safety guidelines to make the election process safer. Some health officials have projected that a third wave of Covid-19 could hit the country around the same time when elections have been planned.

Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, chief of the Clinical Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku said that based on the gap between the first and second wave of Covid-19, the gap between the two waves is 2-3 months.

A Reuters survey among health experts predicted that a third wave of pandemic would hit India by October.

Officials at the election body admit the risk and are planning various measures not to turn the elections into a super-spreader event.

“Through code of conduct, we can limit the participation of people in the assembly of political parties,” said Dhamala.

While the commission is making logistical preparations, the political situation continues to remain fragile for holding elections.

“Again, besides settlement of legal issues, political consensus is again the most important factor to hold the elections on the scheduled date,” said Dhamala.