KATHMANDU, APRIL 12The Election Commission today issued a press release reminding political parties of several provisions of the election code of conduct. Election Code of Conduct comes into effect CPN-UML points out lacunae in election code of conduct The poll panel reminded parties of the code's provisions that prohibited parties' cadres and supporters from using logos, stickers, clothes, shirts, T-shirts, jackets, scarves, caps, badges, masks, or lockets that have parties' flags while taking part in political parties' rallies and mass meetings.

Candidates can, however, use 3X3 square feet party flags and symbols at their offices. The poll panel also reminded parties that they should display digital boards, flex boards, glow sign boards, or use audio-visual materials during election campaigns.The poll panel said children below 18 years of age should not be deployed for campaigning.The EC issued the release after there was a hue and cry in the social networking sites about violation of election code of conduct by some political parties.Yesterday, the EC issued show cause notices to CPN (Unified Socialist) and Nepali Congress leader Shashank Koirala for allegedly violating poll code.

CPN (US) was accused of violating poll code during recent mass meeting at Bhrikuti Mandap.EC Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel said that the EC reminded political parties of the polls code provisions so as to ensure that they fully abide by them.

He said the EC had urged all stakeholders, including the public, to lodge complaints against any candidate or political party if they violated poll code."We have poll code monitoring mechanisms from top to bottom, including at municipal level.

We have delegated them power to take action against code violators," Paudel said.

He added that the lower mechanisms would send the code violation issues that they could not act on to the EC for it to decide."The EC alone cannot enforce the poll code.

In fact, all stakeholders, including political parties, the public, media, NGOs, and INGOs need to help the poll panel enforce the poll code," he added.Former chief election commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety told THT that often business persons associated with political parties violated poll code by distributing clothes, such as jackets and trousers, with parties' flags and symbols."These measures are aimed at preventing unnecessary expenditure.

When those deployed for poll duty find people distributing caps, trousers, or jackets with parties' flags or symbols, they should immediately inform the EC.

However, often they ignore it or take it less seriously," Uprety said and added that implementation of poll code had always been poor.A version of this article appears in the print on April 13, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.

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