GANI ANSARI
KATHMANDU, Feb 24: At a time when top leaders of the UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) are trying to forge consensus on fresh polls, second-rung Madhesi leaders have warned that the latest voters´ list, in which about 11 million voters have been included so far along with their photos and biometrics, will not be acceptable to them if Constituent Assembly (CA) elections are to be held by mid-June.
They maintained that the fresh polls, in case they take place by mid-June, should be conducted on the basis of the voters´ list prepared for the CA election in 2008.
Altogether 17.6 million voters were registered during the 2008 CA election.
“There is no point accepting the latest voters´ list in which millions of eligible voters are not registered,” Rameshwor Raya Yadav, senior vice-chairman of the ruling Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D), told Republica.
General Secretary of Sadbhawana Party Manish Suman claimed that two million eligible voters across the Tarai are yet to be registered in the new voters´ list as they do not have citizenship certificates.
“How can polls be accepted when a large number of voters will be unable to cast their ballots?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Spokesperson and General Secretary of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) Sarvendra Nath Shukla stated that the voters´ list prepared during the CA election in 2008 should be updated if fresh polls are to be held by mid-June.
“Even if fresh polls are not conducted by mid-June, the new voters´ list should be completed,” he added.
Asked if fresh polls could be conducted on the basis of the previous voters´ list as the authorities are already working on a new list, EC Spokesperson Anil Thakur said, “The EC will take a decision on how to conduct polls under special circumstances.” He maintained that eligible voters should not be deprived of their voting rights.
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