KATHMANDU, Oct 30: Chief Election Commissioner Dr Ayodhee Prasad Yadav has furnished a written response to the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday stating that the EC has started to print separate ballot papers for the purpose of elections to the House of Representatives and State Assemblies.

Furnishing the response by Assistant Attorney General Ghan Shyam Ojha on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General on the case filed against defamation of the court, Dr Yadav said that works have already been started for printing separate ballot papers for the first-past-the-post electoral system.

The EC has written to the Janak Education Material Center on Sunday itself for printing the ballot papers of Baitadi, Bajhang, Darchula, Bajura and Jajarkot districts by respecting the SC’s verdict, reads the response.

Earlier, the SC had issued an order in the name of EC hearing a writ petition filed by the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal leader Sarbendra Nath Shukla demanding separate ballot papers for the province and federal levels in the polls.

On October 24, leader Shukla had again reached the SC to file case against the Chief Election Commissioner and four other commissioners and the prime minister for defamation of the court. Hearing the case, a single bench of Justice Dambar Bahadur Shahi sought written response from the EC within three days regarding the progress being made in the printing of separate ballot papers for House of Representative and State Assemblies election. RSS