Does the EC have the guts to cancel candidacies of those who violate the election code?
The Election Commission (EC) has warned the political parties and their candidates against launching election-related rallies or corner meetings before November 3 – 17 days before the November 20 elections. The EC's warning has come against the backdrop of the ruling alliance's recent decision to hold joint election rallies in all the seven provinces before November 3. The election code of conduct, which was prepared and issued with the consent of the political parties, stipulates that the political parties and their candidates can launch their campaigns only 17 days before the November 20 elections. The 17-day cap was introduced to cut election expenses of all the political parties and their candidates. They can, however, disseminate their political agenda through advertisements in the private print media, which have wider reach of the public across the country, and they can also run door-to-door campaigns even before November 3. EC commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has warned the political parties and their candidates that their candidacies could be cancelled if they held election-related rallies before November 3. Even during the door-to-door campaigns, candidates cannot include more than 25 people accompanying them or use a musical band.
The EC has been receiving complaints that the candidates were visiting voters' homes with much fanfare using musical bands and they were also holding feasts to woo the voters.
So far, the EC has issued a show cause notice to as many as 28 candidates, including chairman of the CPN-Maoist Centre, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, for violating the code of conduct. While filing his nomination in Gorkha-2 on October 9,Gorkha-2 on October 9, Dahal was accompanied by a traditional musical band. In his reply to the EC, he denied being accompanied by the said musical band. But media footages and social networking sites had shown him being led by a traditional musical band. The EC has also warned that it would take action against the code violators if the districts and local areas did not take appropriate action against them.
So far, no punitive action has been taken against those who have breached the election code. One former minister was found to have given false promises of sending youths for foreign employment without having to pay for the visa fee and air ticket while another sitting minister was found distributing foodstuffs to the people in Baa and Dang, from where they are contesting the elections. Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, while interacting with the locals in Bhairahawa after filing his nomination from Rupandehi-3, said the locals would get preference in getting jobs at the Gautam Buddha International Airport when it comes into full operation. Minister Umakant Chaudhary reportedly threatened to take the life of Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Ganesh Dhimal if he did not withdraw his candidacy from Bara-1. These are serious instances of violations of the election code. Does the EC have the guts to cancel their candidacies? The EC will lose its credibility if it cannot strictly implement its code of conduct by providing a level playing field for all. The EC must pay special attention to the ruling parties' candidates, who could give false promises to the voters as mentioned and misuse the state machinery before the elections.
Tusker menace
There seems to be no respite for the villagers in Nepal from the many problems they face year in year out. A perennial shortage of fertiliser and seeds has become the norm. The monsoon is becoming more and more unpredictable, with drought when there should be rain and heavy rains during the harvesting season. For those living close to the jungles, wild animals haunt them day and night. And in settlements that lie close to the southern border, tuskers entering Nepal from the Indian side go on a rampage periodically, destroying crops and houses that lie on their way. Lately, male tuskers in search of female elephants are on the loose in different villages of Bara, causing heavy damage to property and harvest-ready grains.
Tusker menace is a perennial problem for the villagers located close to the Indian border, at times even leading to loss of life. The problem will only grow with the expansion of settlements in places which were once the habitat of the elephant and other wild animals. Erecting electric fences or mobilising the villagers to shoo away the pachyderms has worked only at times. A lasting solution must, therefore, be sought through coordination with the stakeholders on either side of the border.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 19 2022 of The Himalayan Times.