Sindhulimadhi, May 8

Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre activists have complained that staff members deployed by the Chief Election Officer in Sindhuli were aligned to the CPN-UML trade union.

Nepali Congress Sindhuli President Ujjwal Baral said that consensus had been forged against employing any trade union members to hold elections.

CPN-Maoist Centre District Chairperson Rajan Dahal said that the Office of the Chief Election Officer had deployed UML-aligned trade union officials in a premeditated manner.

Nepali Congress-aligned official Govinda Koirala warned that officials would not report to their polling centres if the election commission didn’t rectify the decision.

Saroj Shrestha, a CPN-Maoist Centre aligned trade union chairperson, accused the Office of Chief Election Officer of working unilaterally.

“The Chief Election Officer must either also deploy trade union officials aligned to other parties or risk officials aligned to NC and CPN-MC not reporting to their polling centres,” Shrestha said.

Sindhuli’s Chief District Officer Tara Bahadur Karki said that it was a serious error on the part of the Office of the Chief Election Officer, and that he had directed the office to remove the names of the staffers.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Officer Parshuram Bhattarai said he would not deploy officials if they were trade union members. “I will investigate the officials’ political affiliation and decide accordingly,” said Bhattarai.

19,332 women in fray for first phase polls

Provinces: 3, 4 and 8

Total candidates: 49,337

Total male candidates: 30,005 (60.82 per cent)

Total female candidates: 19,332 (39.184 per cent)

Posts of mayor and chairperson: 1,723 male candidates (91.65 per cent)

157 women (8.35 per cent)

Posts of deputy mayor and deputy chairperson: 257 male candidates (18.57 per cent)

1,127 women candidates (81.43 per cent)

Post of ward chiefs: 10,296 male (95.83 per cent)

448 women candidates (4.17 per cent)

Post of ward member: 17,729 male candidates (94.71 per cent)

951 women candidates (5.29 per cent)

As per the Local Level Election Act-2017, political parties are required to field at least 50 per cent women nominees for the posts of mayor, chairperson, deputy mayor and deputy chairperson of local bodies and 40 per cent women candidates for the post of ward member.

Source: Election Commission