Even as PM Baburam Bhattarai continues to bank on his election rhetoric, the only body authorised to hold elections is short of commissioners. The last two remaining election officers, Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Ayodhee Prasad Yadav, came to the end of their six-year term as of Thursday.
In a meeting with Gurung and Yadav at Singha Darbar, PM Bhattarai expressed concern at their leave of office. But the duo pointed out to Bhattarai that it was the parties' politicising of constitutional amendments that led to vacancies at the Election Commission.
PM Bhattarai's caretaker government had forwarded an ordinance concerning EC appointments to the president in July but the president did not pass the ordinance citing lack of political consensus.
With Gurung and Yadav's retirement from the EC, all constitutional bodies except the Public Service Commission are without commissioners.