INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, MAY 1The Election Commission has sent warning letters to CPN (Unified Socialist), CPN-Maoist Centre, and
Nepali Congress leader Shashank Koirala for violating election code of conduct
The EC warned them not to repeat their mistakes in the run-up to the local polls slated for May 13.
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The EC said the CPN (US) had violated election code of conduct on April 9 at its programme organised at Bhrikuti Mandap by displaying
large party flags and deploying children during the mass meeting.
The EC said in its election bulletin that the CPN (US)
violated Section 23 of Local Election Act, Section 24 of Election (Offence and Punishment) Act, and Section 22 of Election Commission
Act.The poll panel ruled that the CPN-MC violated the election code of conduct by including the picture of Executive Director of Nepal
Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising in poll campaign materials.The EC said Koirala violated the poll code when he said he spent Rs 60
million in the last parliamentary elections, since he had stated in details of his poll expenditure that he had spent Rs 2,175,000 in the
last parliamentary elections.The poll panel said that it was not acceptable for a person to submit one kind of details of expenditure to the
EC and make a different kind of statement about poll expenditure
Stating that Koirala's statement was against the spirit of the poll code, the EC warned him not to repeat the mistake.The EC rapped Gandaki
Speaker Netranath Adhikari as well for poll code violation
He also claimed that he had spent more money during his election campaign than he had stated in his poll expenditure report submitted to the
EC.The EC, meanwhile, seized poll materials, including parties' flags from parts of Kathmandu metropolis that it said violated election code
of conduct.EC teams deployed in Ratnapark, Bagbazaar, Putalisadak, Tundikhel, Shahidgate, and Bhotahiti seized 300 pieces of parties' flags,
200 caps containing election symbols of political parties, and three banners.The EC said it would continue to deploy its employees to
monitor poll code compliance.A version of this article appears in the print on May 02, 2022, of The Himalayan Times
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com