MP Rajiv Khatri Alleges Security Forces Favor Ruling Party During Elections

Kathmandu. Ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) MP Rajiv Khatri has made a serious allegation that security agencies favor the ruling party during elections.

Speaking on Tuesday during the hearing of proposed Election Commissioner Guru Prasad Wagle in the Federal Parliament's Parliamentary Hearing Committee, MP Khatri raised questions on the efficiency of the Election Commission, security neutrality, and various aspects of election reform.

MP Khatri mentioned that the security forces deployed on the front lines during elections are always in the shadow of the ruling party. He inquired with the proposed commissioner about the reason why security forces cannot be brought under the complete control of the commission during elections.

He argued that the state incurs financial burden due to the Election Commission's last-minute disqualification of candidates, who are later acquitted by the court. He demanded to know the reason for the recurrence of such weaknesses, asking who would bear the expenses if elections had to be canceled and re-conducted due to the commission's errors.

He sought clarity on which of the five models proposed by the commission for providing voting rights to Nepalis living abroad could be implemented in the upcoming local and provincial elections.

During the hearing, MP Khatri said, 'One experience I had during the elections is that the security forces deployed on the front lines during elections are mostly seen under the influence of the ruling party. My question is why the Election Commission cannot effectively mobilize security forces under its control.'

Adding on the voting rights of Nepalis living abroad and other reform issues, he said, 'You presented five models for Nepalis living abroad to be able to vote. Among them, which model is the most suitable and immediately implementable in the context of Nepal? How feasible is this in the upcoming local and provincial elections? Also, the issue of 'no vote' and 'recall' is being discussed a lot right now. Please clarify the possibility and implementation of this.'

Stating that there is a huge gap between the actual expenses in elections and the documented details, MP Khatri commented that the issue of reducing expenses has become a mockery. Questioning the effectiveness of separate bank accounts opened for elections, he demanded a concrete plan from the commission to ensure transparency in fundraising and expenditure.