56 candidates fail to submit poll expenses

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 23: A total of 56 candidates, who contested the House of Representatives (HoR) election under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system on March 5, have failed to submit their election expenditure details to the Election Commission (EC) within the stipulated deadline.

According to data provided by the Election Commission, the non-compliant candidates include 24 independent contenders and 32 candidates from 20 political parties. The Commission confirmed that the elected HoR members were not among those failing to present spending details.

Among the national parties, one candidate each from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Shram Sanskriti Party, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have not submitted their expense reports.

The data shows that Aam Janata Party has the highest number of defaulters with five candidates, followed by Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party with four candidates. Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal has three such candidates, while Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), Nepal Janasewa Party, and Samyukta Nagarik Party have two each.

Similarly, one candidate each from Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch, Miteri Party Nepal, Janamat Party, Rastra Nirman Dal Nepal, Gandhiwadi Party Nepal, Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, Nepal Janata Party, Ujyalo Nepal Party, Mangol National Organisation, Rastriya Ekata Party, and Nagarik Unmukti Party also failed to submit their expenditure details.

The Commission has stated that under Section 72(4) of the House of Representatives Election Act, 2017, the political parties, candidates, or their representatives are required to submit their election expenditure details to the Commission or the designated office within 35 days from the date of announcement of the election results.

In accordance with this legal provision, candidates who participated in the March 5 polls and failed to submit their election expenditure details within the stipulated time have been listed on the Commission’s website. 

According to Yagya Bhattarai of EC, the Commission has decided to direct these candidates to explain why they failed to submit their election expenditure details within the prescribed deadline. 

The Commission will also ask to clarify why action should not be taken against them under Section 26 of the Election Commission Act, 2017 for non-compliance, he added. The procedure will be conducted through the District Election Offices.

Under Section 26(4) of the same Act, the Commission will order the concerned candidates to submit their written clarification, along with justification, within seven days to the respective District Election Office or directly to the Election Commission.