Unlike in the past, integrity of the candidates rather than money will decide the November polls
With the federal and provincial elections slated for November 20, the Election Commission (EC) has been proposing measures to reduce the poll expenditure of the candidates and make the polls as fair as possible for everyone. But how realistic they are is quite another matter. On Monday, it proposed limiting the number of people accompanying a candidate during the door-to-door election campaign to just 25, which has not found favour with the political parties used to organising jumbo groups with the accompaniment of musical bands to impress on the local voters. As the parties have pointed out, such campaigning is usually joined by supporters on their own volition, and they can't be asked to simply go home. So what would the EC do in such a case? What the EC could do is discourage or prohibit motorcycles rallies at a time when the country is looking for ways to cut down on fuel imports due to dwindling foreign exchange reserves. They are also a nuisance on the busy streets of the capital and elsewhere that are choking with vehicles round the clock.
Elections in Nepal are getting more and more expensive, with the candidates going all out to win them using whatever means it takes, even immoral tactics if need be. It is common knowledge that each of the candidates spends much more than the limit set by the EC, but no action has been taken against any of them for flouting the rules, not even when candidates have declared it publicly. In April this year, no other than senior Nepali Congress leader Shashank Koirala had revealed at a public function that he had spent Rs 60 million during the last parliamentary election held in 2017, as against a cap of Rs 2.5 million set by the EC per candidate. In the three elections that he has participated in so far, he has spent a total of Rs 100 million. But the EC has not taken any action against him for declaring a poll expenditure of just Rs 2.175 million or any others for violating the election code of conduct. It was just as plain during the local elections that the mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates had spent many times more than the Rs 7.5 lakhs cap set by the EC.
There is no doubt that any decision of the EC to cut down on the poll expenses and provide a level playing field to all the candidates is being done in good faith. Yet they have to be practical. Even its recent thoughts on limiting the duration of the poll campaign to 15 days does not sound realistic given Nepal's varied geography. While this is possible in the Tarai plains and in the cities, candidates in the hills and mountains will need more time to at least make one visit to the different households in the constituency. Thus, the EC should frame only a practical code of conduct for the candidates and parties for which it has the needed manpower and infrastructure to implement strictly. As for the parties and their candidates, there is no guarantee that they will win in the constituencies through money and muscle power as in the past. If the victory of popular independent mayoral candidates in Kathmandu and Dharan in the local elections is any guide, then integrity of the candidates rather than money and unethical practices will decide which way the November 20 elections will go.
Charging stations
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Nepal Police have reached an agreement to install 25 charging stations at different locations, aimed at gradually reducing the consumption of petroleum products by encouraging the use of electric vehicles. To encourage the use of electric vehicles, a specialised subsidised rate has been fixed at about Rs 5 per unit on an average. As per the study, it costs around Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kilometre to run a vehicle that runs on fossil fuel, while it costs around 60 paisa to Rs 1 per km to run an electric vehicle. As per the deal, the charging fee paid by the consumers will be shared equally between the NEA and Nepal Police.
A similar agreement was reached with a Chinese company last year to install 50 charging stations, covering all the seven provinces, major highways and cities. Although it was agreed that the Chinese firm would install the said number of charging stations within one year, there is no progress in this regard. The NEA has a plan to install as many as 300 charging stations in the near future. An estimated 50,000 two and four wheeler electric vehicles ply the streets, and their numbers are growing every year. Private sector should also be encouraged to set up the charging stations.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 24, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
