KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 11

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya has urged media outlets to write news stories in a way that could encourage candidates to spend less during election campaigning.

Addressing a programme organised by Nepal Television today, Thapaliya said unnecessary election expenditure adversely impacted the national economy.

According to the Election Commsion bulletin, the chief election commissioner said that the election code of conduct prohibited media outlets from conducting poll surveys and from telling the public that certain candidates were weak.

Addressing a programme organised by Gorkhapatra Corporation in Chitwan, Thapaliya said that mediapersons should write new stories mainly focusing on polling centres and polling booths.

Thapaliya said that the journalists should now report on the directives the EC issued today about voters' education, inclusive polling centres and easy access of differently-abled voters to the polling booths.

Stating that the Election Commission was ready to provide information about election process, Thapaliya said that journalists should report on whether or not employees deployed on poll duty reaches their polling centres by the evening of November 17.

Thapaliya said that journalists should inform the public about how the election will transform the country in next five years.

Thapaliya said that candidates vying for parliamentary and provincial assembly seats were giving assurances to the public about carrying out development works that were mainly the jurisdiction of local governments and that was reflective of the need for transforming the election.

'We all need to work honestly. The election code of conduct must not be violated by anybody and if anybody violates them, that should be reported by the media.

'Information should be disseminated by the media in such a way that help voters to cast their votes prudently,' he added.

Thapaliya also reminded journalists of abiding by the election code of conduct. He said that journalists should be mindful of the need to give equal coverage to all candidates.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 12, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.