EC to Destroy Unused Ballot Papers After HoR Election

The Election Commission (EC) is preparing to destroy unused ballot papers from the House of Representatives election held on March 5.

About 59% of voters participated, leaving around 40% of ballot papers unused. The EC had printed slightly more ballots than needed (about 7% extra), which is a normal practice.

In total, over 41 million ballot papers were printed. The EC said all unused papers will be destroyed following legal procedures.

Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said the election was fair and no political party has questioned its integrity. The election report has already been submitted to the President.

The Janak Education Materials Centre (JEMC), which printed the ballots, produced up to 1.3 million papers per day. According to officials, this printing work also helps the center cover its costs.

As per law, disposing of such documents means destroying them completely so they cannot be read or reused, including by burning.