Only Five Out of Ten Candidates in Jumla Have Opened Bank Accounts for Election Expenses

Jumla. Out of the ten candidates contesting the House of Representatives election in Jumla, the sole constituency, only five have obtained recommendations from the District Election Office to open bank accounts.

According to District Election Officer Dipendra Kandel, ten candidates, including those from nine different political parties and one independent, are participating in the election in the district. The Election Commission has directed political parties that candidates must conduct election-related expenditures through banks or financial institutions and not through any other means.

Accordingly, Election Officer Kandel informed that candidates Naresh Bhandari of the CPN (Maoist Centre), Shantilal Mahat of CPN-UML, Manarishi Dhital of the Progressive Democratic Party (Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party), Binita Kathayat of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and Gyanendra Shahi of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) in Jumla have secured recommendations from the Jumla Election Office to open bank accounts.

The office has informed the candidates who have not opened bank accounts for election expenditure purposes. The Commission has stated that if financial contributions or expenditures exceed NPR 25,000, they must be conducted through a separate account opened in a bank or financial institution.

To target the election, the Commission has issued the 'House of Representatives Election Publicity Bank Account Operation and Management Procedure, 2082'. The Commission has stipulated that candidates can spend between NPR 2.5 million and NPR 3.3 million based on various geographical criteria.

It has been stated that candidates who do not open bank accounts may face legal issues. There is a provision to submit the expenditure details to the Commission after the election. The Election Commission has stated that expenditures made without opening a bank account will not be recognized by the Commission and may lead to legal complications.