KATHMANDU, August 31: The Election Commission (EC) is about to establish its offices in all the 165 electoral constituencies for the elections to the House of Representatives (HoR) and arrange for the counting of votes for the provincial assembly and HoR elections there.

The EC has prepared the election guidelines and is going to make such an arrangement for the first time. Elections are scheduled to be held on November 20 to elect members of the provincial assemblies and the HoR.

According to the EC’s analysis, expenses will increase somewhat when votes are counted with the establishment of offices in all constituencies of the HoR.

"We are making election guidelines so that programs with counting of votes will be held in each constituency of the HoR," said an EC official. “We have not reached a decision as we are discussing whether the establishment of offices and counting of votes in the constituencies will increase the expenses and whether the election materials cannot be delivered on time.”

According to the old practice, the Election Commission sends ballot papers and materials including ballot boxes to the District Election Office in four/five vehicles for provincial and HoR elections. But when the election offices are set up in all 165 electoral constituencies established for the election of members of the House of Representatives, the commission has to transport the election materials with different vehicles to all the areas.

Although tenders have been called for the materials required for the election, there is also doubt that the materials will arrive on time. “There was a tender to bring election materials from China,” the official said, "China has not opened the borders yet. On the other hand, there is doubt that the election materials will arrive on time because the tenders for some materials are very cheap." 

 
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