Home Minister assures impartial by-election

Kathmandu, Nov 15: Minister for Home Affairs, Ramesh Lekhak, has assured that the upcoming local-level by-elections will be held in an impartial and free environment.     

Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee in the House of Representatives on Friday, the Minister said that the government had made adequate arrangements for electoral safety. He added that he had already sought information from the Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration regarding the transfer of administrative chiefs of local levels as elections approach.     

At the meeting, lawmaker Gagan Kumar Thapa raised concerns about the timing of the transfer of local-level employees, particularly after the election announcement. In response, Minister Lekhak said he would hold discussions with the Minister for General Administration to ensure that the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner.     

The Home Minister reiterated the Home Ministry is closely coordinating with the Election Commission to guarantee that the elections are held without any undue influence. He affirmed the government's commitment to ensuring a fair and impartial electoral process.     

The local-level by-elections are scheduled for December 1 and will elect two District Coordination Committee chiefs, two rural municipality chairs, one mayor, one deputy mayor, and 34 ward chairs, totaling 44 local representatives. The schedule for filing electoral candidacies is November 17.(RSS)