An interaction on the issue of code of conduct was held with political parties, candidates and media persons in Palpa-2.
What you should know
Political parties and candidates in the district have pledged to fully comply with the election code of conduct. In an interaction held by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer with representatives of candidates and political parties at the District Administration Office on Tuesday, representatives of Constituency No. 2 pledged not to commit any act that violates the prescribed code of conduct.
Chief Election Officer and District Judge Hari Prasad Sharma Upadhyay Pangeni urged all candidates, political parties and stakeholders to cooperate by following the election code of conduct. He stressed that since everyone's role is different, the goal is the same for everyone, all stakeholders, individuals, candidates, political parties, organizations, and media personnel should fully follow the code of conduct from their respective areas. District Election Officer Mahesh Sharma informed about the code of conduct that political parties, candidates, and media personnel should follow.
Code of Conduct Monitoring Officer and Assistant Chief District Officer Rishiram Subedi said that information about code of conduct violations has started coming in through phone calls. He stressed that since some such information is unclear, if it is found that the code of conduct has been violated, it should be based on accurate information and facts. "If there is a violation of the election code of conduct, we will be alerted," he said. "If found, we will file a complaint with the Election Commission, the Central and District Code of Conduct Monitoring Committees."
He said that there have been complaints about local level people's representatives riding vehicles with government number plates for election campaigning, distributing goats, transferring teachers, and conducting political activities at the Gurukulam in Hungi. Currently, he said that awareness is being raised based on the complaints received regarding activities that are against the election code of conduct. Assistant Chief District Officer and Monitoring Officer Subedi also said that he has written to all municipalities not to use two- or four-wheeled vehicles for political activities except for municipal work.
The coordinator of the monitoring committee on the code of conduct for financial matters, Surya Prasad Aryal, the chief fund controller of the Fund and Accounts Control Office, Palpa, is responsible for monitoring whether all candidates have opened a separate account for election expenses and spent money from it. The code of conduct states that support from anyone and spending should be done from that account.
The candidates and representatives of political parties participating in the discussion expressed their commitment to following the code of conduct and said that everyone would fully follow the code of conduct from their respective positions. Congress candidate Himal Dutta Shrestha of Constituency No. 2, CPN-UML candidate representative Dhanendra Raj Ghimire, Nepali Communist Party candidate Som Prasad Pandey, and Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Madhav Bahadur Thapa said that they would not engage in activities that would violate the code of conduct. Rastriya Prajatantra Party candidate Dul Bahadur Kunwar, Rastriya Janmuktika Top Aslami, Janata Samajwadi Party's Khik Bahadur Reshmi, National Republic Nepal's Dev Prasad Shrestha, and Mongol National Organization's Man Bahadur Darlami pledged to fully abide by the code of conduct.
Ram Bahadur Aslami of the Sovereign Citizen Party, Bishna Thadrai (Sarki) of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), Bodh Raj Jaisi of the Progressive Democratic Party, and independent candidate Mohan Kunwar Thapa Magar emphasized that the Election Commission and the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer should treat everyone equally. After some media outlets accused them of giving priority to only a few political parties, Federation of Nepali Journalists District President Kamal Raj Timilsena said that the media would not treat everyone equally, elevate someone and put someone down.
Chief District Officer Binu Bajracharya Kunwar said that no one should do anything that violates the code of conduct. The Election Commission has given the power to monitor and recommend whether candidates and political parties have followed the code of conduct to prevent violations of the code of conduct.
The Assistant Chief District Officer and the Chief Fund Controller have been given the responsibility of other matters except finance, while the Chief Fund Controller has been assigned the responsibility of monitoring matters related to political finance and election expenses, according to the District Election Office.
The Election Commission has implemented the Election Code of Conduct, 2082, to conduct the upcoming House of Representatives elections on Falgun 21 in a fair, impartial, transparent and credible manner. The code of conduct has been implemented since Magh 4.
A political party or candidate will monitor whether a person participating in a rally or public meeting or campaigning is wearing the party or candidate's election symbol or flag logo or sticker or cap, vest, T-shirt, jacket, etc. As provided in the election code of conduct, the Election Office has stated that it has the authority to monitor the use of posters, graffiti, banners, digital displays.
The use of vehicles will also be monitored. The monitoring officer has the authority to monitor whether the manifesto has been made public. They will also monitor whether any financial assistance has been received from government, public bodies, and non-governmental organizations for election campaigning. It has been said that a separate account will be opened in a bank and financial institution for election expenses. The monitoring officer has the authority to monitor whether or not the spending officer has been designated and whether or not arrangements have been made for spending. In Constituency No. 2, 16 candidates, including 14 political parties and 2 independents, are in the fray.
