RJP-N misses EC deadline to submit documents

Kathmandu, June 12

The newly formed Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal did not submit documents required for participating in the second phase of local level elections today.

The Election Commission had given three days to parties to submit signatures of office-bearers who had issued tickets to candidates. The EC’s three-day deadline ended today.

EC Spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma said the RJP-N did not submit the required documents within the stipulated deadline and only the Lok Dal and the Madhes Tarai Forum submitted their documents today. “There is no possibility of the EC extending the deadline,” Sharma said. He added that candidates would file their nomination papers on June 16.

The Parliament had recently amended the Local Level Election Act, allowing parties to submit  signatures of the parties’ ticket issuing office bearers before filing nomination papers.

Before the Local Level Election Act was amended, the parties were supposed to submit such documents 15 days before the candidates file nomination papers.

RJP-N leader Rajendra Mahato said since they had announced protest against the local polls, they did not submit the required documents. “The government has not met our political demands and in this situation we cannot participate in the local polls,” he said. RJP-N leader Keshav Jha said the party today decided to send members of the presidium to districts to intensify their movement against the second phase of local polls.