With the Supreme Court issuing interim order on Friday barring the implementation of the government's decision to add local units, officials at the Election Commission (EC) said that it has put an end to speculation whether third phase of local elections would be held.

The election body on Thursday had made it clear that it could not hold local elections on June 14 by adjusting added local units showing time constraints.

On Monday, the government decided to add 22 local units in 12 Tarai districts and promote 24 village councils to municipalities on Monday and published the decision in the Nepal Gazette in a bid to bring the agitating Madhes-based parties on board the poll process.

EC Commissioner Ishwari Paudel told the Post that Supreme Court's order has put an end to the possibility of settling the issue of added local units through third phase of local polls.

"But, we have been fully ready to hold second phase of polls in the local units that existed before addition of new local units on Monday," he said.

After holding first phase of local polls in 283 local units in provinces 3, 4 and 6, the EC is gearing up to hold elections in remaining local units 461 (before latest addition) in provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7.

According to EC officials, they had refused to entertain the idea of holding polls by accommodating added local units because it had to reprint voters' list not only in added 22 local units but over 100 local units to be affected by the creation of new local units and upgrading of the 24 village councils into municipalities. Before the government's decision, there were 267 local units in Tarai.

Along with local units, voters' identity cards required to be printed as per the adjusted address and polling stations for individual voters.

This had paved the way for speculation whether the local elections would be completed in the three phases.

Before the SC order, there had been discussions about the alternatives after EC's decision.

Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav had told the Poston Friday morning that they were in discussions on various alternatives on complications following the government's decision to add local units.

Political environment for the polls has become further uncertain following the Rastriya Janata Party, Nepal, newly formed party through the merger of six Madhes-based parties announced boycotting and disrupting the polls on Friday. On the same day, Supreme Court stayed the government's decision.

But, former Chief Election Commissioner Nil Kantha Upreti said that SC verdict has cleared the way for holding the polls without being distracted.

"The phase of local polls clearly showed that people want elections and the government and the parties should support the EC holding second phase of local polls on June 14," he said adding that government must take responsibility to maintain law and order for the elections.