Election Commissioner Expresses Concern Over Rising Costs and Commercialization in Elections

Kathmandu. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has expressed concern over the increasing expenditure and commercialization in elections. Speaking at an interaction program with representatives of political parties participating in the election regarding election expenditure management and women's participation in elections, he emphasized that all stakeholders must be honest to conduct the election in a fair, free, and principled manner.

Bhandari stated that the influence of money in Nepal's elections is not just a recent problem but its roots go back into history. Citing the autobiography of Navaraj Subedi, he recalled that commercialization entered Nepali politics starting from the 1979 referendum (2036 BS). 'At that time, it was made public that commercialization in politics began when Surya Bahadur Thapa gave permission to some businessmen to sell snakeskins,' Bhandari said, 'Since then, the competition in expenditure has been increasing in every election, which is not an auspicious sign for democracy.'

Bhandari compared past elections with the current trend of high spending. Giving the example of the 1986 National Panchayat election (2043 BS), he recalled that pro-people candidates spontaneously contested the election using money from the pockets of the general public.