Ballot printing completed for 100 constituencies in 44 districts

KATHMANDU: The Election Commission has completed the printing of ballot papers for 100 House of Representatives constituencies across 44 districts in preparation for the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5.

According to Assistant Spokesperson Kul Bahadur GC, a total of 12.256 million ballot papers have been printed so far.

The districts where ballot printing has been fully completed include Dolpa, Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Humla, Jajarkot, Dailekh, Rukum (West), Salyan, Surkhet, Bajura, Achham, Bajhang, Doti, Dadeldhura, Darchula, Baitadi, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Panchthar, Ilam, Tehrathum, Bhojpur, Okhaldhunga, Sunsari, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Khotang, Dhankuta, Baglung, Gulmi, Jhapa, Gorkha, Myagdi, Parbat, Bardaghat–Susta West (Nawalparasi), Morang, Udayapur, Mustang, Lamjung, Tanahun, Syangja, and Bardiya.

The Election Commission confirmed that packing of ballot papers for all these districts has also been completed, with 10,759 ballot boxes packed so far.

Ballot printing is being carried out at Janak Education Materials Centre Limited in Sanothimi, covering both the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) electoral systems. The process began on Jan 6.

In the first phase, 1,098,200 sample ballot papers were printed and already dispatched to districts.

For the Proportional Representation system, ballot printing started on Jan 10 and was completed on Jan 27, with a total of 20.83 million ballots printed, packed, verified, and prepared for transportation.

Meanwhile, for the direct (FPTP) election system, the commission plans to print 20.323 million ballot papers. Printing under this category began on the morning of Jan 30 and is currently ongoing.

The Election Commission stated that ballot production is progressing as scheduled to ensure timely distribution ahead of polling day.