The commission has warned that if such content is maintained after the silence period has begun, it will be considered a violation of the code of conduct and will be subject to action.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
The Election Commission has urged candidates and political parties to remove promotional materials posted on social media during the silence period.
The commission has warned that if such materials are kept intact after the silence period begins, it will be considered a violation of the code of conduct and will be subject to action.
Ram Prasad Bhandari, who is leading the commission as the acting chief, clarified in an interview with Kantipur that candidates have the right to campaign until 12 midnight on Monday. “Candidates had the right to campaign until 12 midnight on Monday. After that, the silence period has begun, the commission has implemented the code of conduct,” he said. Regarding the issue of content posted before the silence period on social media, he said that those materials should also be removed. "We have already said yesterday that candidates and parties should remove all the content they have shared on social media, otherwise it will also be considered a violation of the code of conduct," Bhandari said. "If they do not remove it by tomorrow (Wednesday), we will bring them under the ambit of action." Clarifying the process of action, he said that keeping such content during the silence period would be considered a violation. "Materials published and broadcast before the start of the silence period should no longer be kept. We have requested them to remove it. If you leave it as it is, it will be considered a violation of the code of conduct during the silence period," he said. Warning the candidates, he added, "If it becomes a matter of action, it will definitely not be good for the candidate. As a candidate, you will have to go to your constituency and polling stations or come to the Election Commission to give an explanation." The commission has also activated a monitoring mechanism. According to Bhandari, a cyber monitoring team and a 'joint operation team' are active in the commission. "We have also collaborated with social media. "We are working to immediately monitor and remove such content," he said.
