The Supreme Court today deferred the hearing on the case filed against the Election Commission’s decision to hold re-election in Ward 19 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, till Monday.

A division bench of Justice Mira Khadka and Anil Kumar Sinha responded to the writ filed by advocate Tulasi Pandey and Gunjan Man BK, CPN-UML candidate for Bharatpur Metropolitan City-19.

The hearing on the case was postponed due to time constraints.

The vote count in Bharatpur-19 was halted after CPN (Maoist Centre) allegedly stormed into the counting centre and tore 90 ballot papers on May 28.

The EC on June 3 had decided to conduct re-election at Ward 19 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City based on a report prepared by a probe team comprising of Office of the Chief Election Officer, Chitwan District Election Office and representatives of Election Commission.

The very next day on June 4, a writ petition was filed at the apex court, seeking annulment of the EC decision, by BK and Pandey, responding to which the SC on June 5 had issued in interim order directing the EC to maintain status quo on its decision to conduct re-polling.

As per the election results declared so far,  CPN-UML mayoral candidate Devi Prasad Gywali is leading the race against CPN-Maoist Centre Renu Dahal, the daughter of former Prime Minister Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.