Children used in poll campaign against code

By Our Correspondent

Kalikot, Nov. 7: Former Chief Minister of Karnali Province Mahendra Bahadur Shahi has gone against the Election Commission’s code of conduct and used children in his campaign.

Shahi, who is standing for a seat in the federal House of Representatives on behalf of the ruling coalition, participated in an electoral gathering at Padeksha, Pachaljharana Rural Municipality–3 on Friday where children had been brought to stage the region’s traditional Hudyauli Dance. 

In addition to CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Shahi, Nepali Congress’s Hikmat Bista, who is vying to become a member of Karnali’s Provincial Assembly (PA), was also present at the event.

According to people who attended the gathering but declined to be named, there were more than a dozen children who were dancing while Shahi and Bista were asking the people to vote for them.  

Central member of the opposition party CPN (UML) Dakshina Shahi, who is also eyeing a seat in the PA through the proportional representation system, criticised Shahi for violating the code of conduct and called the use of kids a ploy to fake public support.