Two Officials Appointed in Khotang to Monitor Election Code of Conduct Compliance

Khotang. Two monitoring officers have been appointed in Khotang to monitor whether the code of conduct is being violated for the House of Representatives election scheduled for the 21st. Assistant Chief District Officer Kopila Rai and Treasury Controller Roma Pandey have been appointed as monitoring officers to monitor and take action on whether candidates for the House of Representatives and political parties are adhering to the code of conduct.

Rabin Magar, Chief of the District Election Office, Khotang, informed that the monitoring officers will regulate whether political parties, candidates, sister organizations, and media outlets are complying with the code of conduct.

“Everyone has a responsibility to make the upcoming election successful. All political leaders in the district are committed to this,” he said, “If anyone violates the election code of conduct, the monitoring officer will take action. If the incident is major and falls outside the jurisdiction given to the District Monitoring Committee by the Election Commission, it will be recommended to the higher authority.”

The monitoring officers will monitor whether individuals participating in rallies or public meetings or engaging in campaigning are wearing logos, stickers, caps, vests, T-shirts, jackets, etc., bearing the election symbol or flag of a party or candidate, and whether posters, wall writings, banners, and digital displays are being used in accordance with the provisions of the election code of conduct.

They will also monitor issues such as whether vehicles are being used according to the election code of conduct, whether the manifesto has been made public, whether any financial assistance has been received from government, public, or non-governmental organizations for election campaigning, and whether arrangements have been made for expenditure by opening a separate account in a bank or financial institution for election expenses and appointing an official to manage the spending.

To make the election clean, fair, transparent, and reliable, the Election Commission has implemented the Election Code of Conduct 2082 since Magh-4. In Khotang, which has only one constituency for the House of Representatives, 15 leaders, including two independents, have registered their candidacies for the upcoming election and entered the electoral arena.

Birkaji Rai from Nepali Congress, Dev Bikram Rai from CPN (UML), Dr. Hari Roka from CPN (Maoist Centre), Rudra Giri from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rakesh Rai from Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), and Deepak Tamang from Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have registered their candidacies.

Similarly, Sunil Chamling from Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal, Aren Rai from Shram Sanskriti Party, Chandra Budhathoki ‘Shailesh’ from CPN (Maoist), Dhyanprasad Dhakal from Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party, Miresh Rai from Rastriya Parivartan Party, Prayag Rai from Mongol National Organization Party, and Kesharman Chamling from Miteri Party Nepal have registered their candidacies.

Dr. Rajkumar Rai and Tilakchandra Rai have registered as independent candidates from the district, which has ten local levels. The Chief Electoral Officer's office stated that 136 polling stations and 195 polling centers have been designated in Khotang for the upcoming election.

According to the information provided by Rabin Magar, Chief of the District Election Office, Khotang, there are 147,120 voters in Khotang for the upcoming election.