KATHMANDU: India on Monday gifted nearly 50 vehicles and motorcycles worth about Nepali Rupees 90 million to Nepal for the May 14 local polls, the first to be held in over two decades.

India’s Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over different types of vehicles to Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav at a programme held at the Election Commission’s office.

The vehicles include 35 double cabin pickups, seven jeeps, four sedan cars, one XUV car, minibus, microbus, 30 motorcycles and seven scooters worth Nepali Rupees 89.17 million, a statement said. Puri congratulated the Election Commission for making extensive preparations for the upcoming local level polls, it said. Speaking on the occasion, Yadav thanked India for the extensive support for the upcoming election. The vehicles would be used in different parts of the country during the local body elections. Earlier, a media report said China had become the first country to offer assistance to Nepal for the elections. Apart from the financial aid of nine million Yuan announced during Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda’s visit to China in March, a tranche of election-related materials arrived in Kathmandu from Beijing. Nepal has also purchased 30,000 ballot boxes from China, the report had said. The Nepal government has tabled a new Constitution amendment bill in Parliament to address the demands of the agitating Madhesi parties which are demanding more representation and re-demarcation of state boundaries ahead of the local elections. According to the new bill, the government may form a federal commission to recommend it on the issues relating to the number of provinces and their boundaries. Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community.—PTI