KATHMANDU: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has said that the Election Commission will study why the number of women in the total electorate is lower.

Addressing the closing programme of the ‘Election and Mass Communication Workshop and Chief Trainer Training’ organised by the Election Commission here on Friday, he stated that a study has been initiated after observing that although the female population was higher according to the 2078 BS census, it appeared lower in the voter list.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Bhandari shared on the occasion that when he visited western Nepal and talked to women aged 50-60, they told him that their names were not on the voter list.

He expressed his commitment to study into this matter and create an environment in the future where such things do not happen.

“The parties have informed the Election Commission that they will present their policies and programmes through manifestos this week. Journalists should study whether the issues desired by the current generation are included or not and report them through news.

After the events of September 8 and 9, the Commission has brought the parties that faced in different directions together in one place to create the current election environment,” Bhandari said.

He described the Election Commission, the media and journalists as the two sides of the same coin in the context of conducting elections.

Regarding the topic of Nepalis residing abroad not being able to vote in the March 5’s House of Representatives elections, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Bhandari said that such a provision could not be made because there is no law allowing voters living abroad to vote.

Stating that the Election Commission is planning a frugal election, he said the Commission has not received support from foreign development partners this time. Fifty journalists working in the mainstream media participated in the training programme.

At the programme, Commission’s Joint Secretary and Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai provided training with a presentation on ‘The main activities carried out by the Commission so far for the House of Representatives election 2082’, and Joint Secretary Yagya Prasad Bhattarai imparted training with a presentation on ‘The main provisions in the election code of conduct, the status of implementation, and the code of conduct that media must adhere to’.

Similarly, Joint Secretary Rajendra Kumar KC provided training on ‘Voter Education Special Programme, Sample Ballot, Correct Voting Method, and Circumstances in which Ballots are Invalidated’, while Under Secretary Yogesh Aryal gave a presentation on ‘Information and Knowledge on the Commission-Operated Information System Websites and Social Sites Observation and How to Operate Them’.

Journalist Rajanish Bhandari delivered training on ‘The Role and Responsibilities of the Media in Elections and the Use and Monitoring of Social Media’.