Election campaign allowed from today till 18 days, EC directs to abide by election code of conduct

Kathmandu. Formal publicity for the election to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 4 will begin from today. As per the provision, the people can hold rallies, mass meetings, corner meetings and publish or disseminate election-related materials in the media 15 days prior to the election day.

As per the new provision, the political parties and candidates can campaign till 12 midnight from today to 12 midnight. The political parties and candidates can advertise in newspapers as well as online media on the basis of the set criteria. The concerned candidates have to submit the details of the expenditure incurred for the preparation of the forum to the Election Office through themselves or through their representatives.

The Election Commission has directed the political parties, candidates, leaders, representatives and well-wishers to fully abide by the election code of conduct while conducting the election publicity. The Election Commission (EC) has warned the voters not to conduct any kind of violation of the election activities only within the boundaries of the election code of conduct. The EC has strictly prohibited activities like violence, threats, greed and social boycott during the election campaign.

The EC has urged all political parties to abide by the expenditure limit, not to misuse the ballot paper and follow the code of conduct. If the directive is violated, a complaint can be lodged with the concerned election officer or the commission, the EC said. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said it was the legal and moral responsibility of the political parties to follow the election code of conduct.

The EC has also stated that the dissemination of false information, misinformation and malicious expression against any party or candidate is not allowed to be disseminated through social and online platforms or through organised means for vested political interests with the intention of adversely affecting the elections.