KATHMANDU, Dec 30: With the House of Representatives (HoR) election slated for March 5, the Election Commission (EC) has intensified preparations, moving closer to the large-scale task of printing ballot papers for nearly 20 million voters.
To meet the demand, the EC plans to print a total of 40 million ballot papers—20 million for the first-past-the-post system and another 20 million for the proportional representation system. Assistant Spokesperson Kul Bahadur GC said printing extra ballots is necessary to ensure smooth voting nationwide. “Based on the voter count, we have reached an agreement with the Janak Education Materials Centre to print 40 million ballots for both election systems,” he said.
Citing its experience in securely and confidentially printing ballots in previous elections, the commission has once again entrusted Janak Education Materials Centre (JEMC) with the responsibility. As per the agreement, ballot printing will begin on February 16.
JEMC ready with four machines
Few days delay in printing ballots 'not serious'
The JEMC Managing Director Yadu Nath Paudel said the centre is fully prepared following the government’s decision. He assured that ballot printing would not disrupt the ongoing printing of school textbooks.
“Nearly 70 percent of textbook printing for the upcoming academic session has already been completed. Textbooks for Himalayan districts are ready, and sales will begin from mid-January,” Paudel told Republica Daily. “We have placed four special machines on standby specifically for ballot printing.”
He added that all necessary raw materials, including paper for the 40 million ballots, have already been secured. “From February 28, ballot printing and the remaining textbook printing will proceed simultaneously without any disruption. Janak is capable of handling any state responsibility—what it needs is trust,” he said.
Election budget and cost-cutting measures
The EC has also adopted a policy of financial prudence for the election. According to EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the government has allocated Rs 6.73 billion to conduct the polls.
To cut costs, the commission has decided to reuse ballot boxes from previous elections. “Although around 75,000 ballot boxes are required nationwide, the EC has 90,000 boxes safely stored from earlier elections,” Bhattarai said. “After maintenance, these will be reused, saving a substantial amount in procurement costs.”
The commission has designated 10,967 polling locations and 23,112 polling centers across the country. Any savings made during the election process will be returned to the state treasury, Bhattarai added.
According to the EC, political parties were registered for election purposes between November 17 and 30, during which 114 parties were registered. Of them, 93 parties applied between December 7 and 9 to participate in the proportional representation system.
After completing verification of the final voter list and closed lists, the commission is preparing to make public the details of candidates under the proportional representation system.
