KATHMANDU, Sept 16: Two days before the third round of elections, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday has decided to let the voters to cast their votes using citizenship certificates, passports, land ownership certificates and other government authorized documents if they could not get voter ID cards mistakenly. The election body, however, said voters must have been registered in its voters' roll for casting votes. 

"The EC has decided to allow voters to cast votes using government issued documents if they are already registered in voters' roll but could not get their voter ID cards mistakenly," EC Commissioner Narendra Dahal told Republica. "We decided this considering that none of voters registered in voters' roll should be deprived from their voting rights."

The EC is distributing voter ID cards to its registered voters since 2013's Constituent Assembly elections following complaints that some voters managed to cast votes of non-existent or deceased people. Some candidates emerged victorious in 2008's CA elections securing more votes than what the election body recorded during its nationwide voter registration campaign. The number of voters in 2008's CA elections was 17.6 million which was significantly reduced to 12 million in 2013's elections. 

The digital voter registration has greatly helped the EC maintain fairness in elections in the recent days, according to election experts. Considering its importance in avoiding poll fraud, the election body has been continuing its digital drive. Over 14 million voters were registered for the recent local elections. 

Of them, 26,64,950 voters are participating in the third round of elections which will elect 6,627 local leaders in 136 local units. 

A total of 37,236 contestants are vying for the posts of chiefs and members of local units and ward committees. The election law has a mandatory provision to field a woman for chief or deputy chief and at least two women candidates - one woman and one Dalit woman - in ward committee. As per the electoral provision, 14,375 candidates are women. 

After successful first and second rounds of local elections in six provinces of the total seven, the EC is conducting final round of local elections in 136 local units of Province 2. Backtracking from its original stand of holding polls across the country in a single phase, the government has decided to make it possible in three phases following Rastriya Janata Party Nepal's warning of boycotting the elections. 

The RJPN has now agreed to participate in the elections. Polls in Province 2, the bastion of the RJPN, are keenly watched since it is seen as a litmus test for the agitating Madhesi parties. Also, the polls will decide whether the ruling Nepali Congress or CPN-UML will bag the maximum number of seats in the context of main opposition winning most of the seats in the recent two elections.

 
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• citizenship certificate
 
• 3rd phase local polls
 
• province 2