The Election Commission (EC) has mobilised a team of monitors who would discreetly check on the activities of candidates and political parties, election officials and government employees deployed for local elections adhered to the election code of conduct.

“Only Chief District Officer and the Chief Election Officer will know who they are,” an EC official told the Post. “During the inspection, they will have the authority even to check if somebody has carried arms and other dangerous materials to harm the elections with the help of police.”

The monitors, according to the official, will have to report to the EC about the happenings at local units they have visited on daily basis, the official said. “They should submit their report after the elections are over.” 

Clarification sought 

Janak Thapa, the mayoral candidate from the Sanghiya Samajwadi Party-Nepal and Naya Shakti Nepal for Mahalaxmi Municipality, Lalitpur, submitted a clarification to the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday, stating that they did not take out a motorcycle rally as observed by the EC.

The election authority had asked Thapa on Saturday to clarify within 24 hours about the motor cycling rally that was taken out in breach of the election code of conduct.

Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav, upon spotting the activities in violation of election code, had tried to stop it. Photographs of the motor cycle rally have also been taken, according to the EC.

However, Thapa, in his clarification letter, has argued that the cadres associated with the Sanghiya Samajwadi Party and Naya Shakti Nepal had only met while carrying the election publicity materials from their parties’ district offices to the election centres.

EC Spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma said that the EC had not been informed about the decision on the matter.

42 elected unopposed in Mustang

MUSTANG: Forty-two candidates contesting in the local level elections have been elected unopposed in the district. As many as 20 winning candidates are from the Nepali Congress (NC), while seven are from the CPN-UML, two from CPN (Maoist Centre) and one the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

The rest are independent candidates. The candidacies were announced for 135 positions in the district. (PR)