KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 17

Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari warned political parties and candidates that their candidacies could be cancelled if they campaigned before November 3 or 17 days before the November 20 elections.

He urged the parties and candidates to abide by the election code of conduct. 'The EC will not be lax in enforcing the election code of conduct,' he added. 'Parties and candidates can only run door-to-door programmes before November 3 and nothing else.'

The EC warning came in the backdrop of the ruling alliance's recent decision to hold election rallies in all seven provinces before November 3.

Bhandari said the election code of conduct did not allow political parties and candidates to organise any corner or mass meetings with the objective of spreading their messages to the public.

The election code of conduct, which was framed with the consent of political parties, stipulates that candidates and parties can launch election campaign only 17 days before the November 20 elections, that is, from November 3.

Bhandari said even during the door-to-door campaign, candidates cannot have more than 25 people accompanying them or use musical bands.

Bhandari said that the EC had been receiving complaints that candidates were visiting voters' homes with much fanfare using musical bands and they were also organising feasts.

'We are minutely investigating the complaints lodged with us,' Bhandari said, adding that if election officers deployed in the districts and local areas took action on those complaints that would be fine, otherwise, the EC would take stern action against poll violators.

'I would like to inform all political parties that the code of conduct has permitted only for door-to-door canvassing within the permissible limit. I request candidates to read the election code of conduct and abide by it,' he added.

Bhandari said the EC had been issuing dozens of show cause notices to alleged poll code violators and if their replies were not satisfactory, they could face action.

Assistant Spokesperson for the EC Surya Prasad Aryal said that the parties needed to take the EC message seriously as Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya had issued directives to the parties and candidates urging them not to violate the poll code.

The CEC has said that if any candidate was found to be running election campaign before November 3, except the door-to-door programme, their candidacies could be cancelled.

As of today, the EC has issued show cause notice to 28 individuals for alleged poll code violations.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 18, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.