Election canvassing begins

By A Staff Reporter 

Kathmandu, Nov. 4: Political parties and their candidates have begun canvassing for the forthcoming elections to the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies from Thursday. As the Election Commission has allowed campaigning only from 17 days prior to the  election date, those vying for seats in the House of Representatives (HoR) and Provincial Assemblies started holding rallies and visiting the voters only from today. 

Nepali Congress organised a mass meeting in Dadeldhura and Prime Minister and President of the ruling Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba addressed the meeting. 

PM Deuba is contesting election for a seat of HoR  from Dadeldhura. 

Similarly, senior vice-chairman of the CPN-UML Ishwar Pokhrel unveiled his 28-point commitment letter for the upcoming election. Pokhrel is an HoR candidate from Kathmandu-5. 

Likewise, Pradeep Poudel, NC candidate from Kathmandu-5, also attended a programme held in the constituency on Thursday and expressed his commitment to courageously raise people’s problems. Both the independents and party candidates contesting the elections to the HoR and provincial assemblies throughout the country

have expedited canvassing by organising door-to-door campaign, mass meetings, rallies, corner meetings and publishing publicity materials in the media and social networking sites.  

The political parties and their candidates will be allowed to conduct election campaign till November17. 

The parties and candidates can conduct marches, mass gatherings, corner meetings, broadcasting or publishing any publicity materials in media and door to door campaign for 15 days. 

Section 13 (Y) of the Election Code of Conduct, 2022 states that the candidates can start their acts of publicity 17 days prior to the polling day.  

Meanwhile, the EC has reminded ministers and officials of the local executives about the conducts to be followed while canvassing. 

Issuing a notice on Thursday, the EC reminded the ministers and officials of local executives of the conducts as mentioned in the Section 5 (A) of the Election Code of Conduct, 2022. 

According to the revised code of conduct, the minister, who are contesting  the upcoming election can involve in canvassing in the constituency from where he/she has filed their candidacy. However, the conduct has restricted them from using government resources during the electioneering. 

The commission has already instructed the federal ministers, provincial governments and their ministers through the government of Nepal, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to implement the provisions of election code of conduct.