EC asks govt to announce by-election date

The Election Commission (EC) has asked the government to announce the date for by-election for six Constituent Assembly (CA) seats that remain vacant.

EC commissioners called Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam and chief secretary Bhoj Raj Ghimire at the EC office and advised them to announce the by-election date at the earliest. The EC officials also sought government assistance in updating the voter lists.

By-election is to be conducted in Rolpa- 2, Morang-5 and 7, Kaski-1, Kanchanpur-4 and Dhanusha-5 remain vacant. Of the five seats vacated by candidates elected from two constituencies, Maoist chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal vacated Rolpa-2, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum leaders Upendra Yadav and Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar vacated Morang-5 and 7 respectively, Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba Kanchanpur-4 and Maoist leader Dev Gurung gave up Kaski-1 while Dr Ram Baran Yadav gave up his Dhanusha-5 CA seat after being elected President. nepalnews.com mk Jan 06 09