Hari Prasad Dhakal, head of the Provincial Election Office, says that a recommendation from the Election Office is required to open an account for election purposes, but no one has taken the recommendation so far.
What you should know
Candidates running for the House of Representatives election from two constituencies in Makawanpur have not opened separate bank accounts for election purposes as of Tuesday.
According to the election code of conduct, a separate bank account must be opened for election purposes, but the Office of the Election Officer and the Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee have shown concern that no one has opened one so far.
According to the District Election Office, 44 candidates from parties and independents have filed candidacies in Makawanpur. However, Hari Prasad Dhakal, head of the Bagmati Province Election Office, said that no candidate has opened a separate bank account so far. “A recommendation from the Election Office is required to open an account for election purposes, and no one has taken a recommendation so far,” he said.
In Makawanpur-1, 23 candidates, 13 from political parties and 10 from independents, have filed candidacies. Similarly, in Makawanpur-2, 21 candidates, 16 from political parties and five from independents, have filed candidacies.
The Election Commission has made it mandatory to open a new bank account for election purposes to make all income and expenses of candidates transparent. All election-related financial transactions have been made through that account only. Chief Election Officer Geeta Shrestha said that all candidates have been asked to open a new account as a separate account will make the expenses transparent and the expenditure limit set by the commission will not be violated. Candidates who do not open a separate account and do not make their expenses public will be asked for clarification, and the Election Officer has the right to take action up to a fine of up to Rs. 100,000 or cancellation of their candidacy.
If the code of conduct is found to have been violated, the Commission will take action as per Section 23 of the Election Commission Act, 2073 BS, said Dhakal, Chief of the Election Office.
