Most of the agitating Madhes-based parties didn't provide the names and signature of party officials who are authorized to give official letter of nomination of the candidates to the Election Commission (EC) for the upcoming local election by the final deadline on Wednesday.

With the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) deciding to boycott the planned election on Wednesday, most of Madhes-based parties missed the process set by the EC as per the Local Level Election Act-2017. 

A total of 63 political parties out of 80 parties who had been registered at the EC to participate in the local level elections,  provided the names, signature and position of such officials by Wednesday evening, the last deadline given by the election body,

"Except Upendra Yadav-led Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal and Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar-led Nepal Loktantrik Forum, no other Madhes-based parties gave details about such officials to the EC by Wednesday evening," said Gopinath Mainali, secretary of the EC. 

Almost all agitating Madhes-based parties had, however, participated in the earlier election process such as registering the party for election purposes at the EC and re-registering their parties in the cases they were left out in certain districts. 

Madhesi parties say that the participation election procedures so far won't have any meaning following the SLMM's decision of boycotting the election.

Upendra Yadav, chairperson of Sanghiya Samajwadi, Forum Nepal said that his party had participated in the electoral process as defined by the EC with the hope that political consensus would be reached on the demands of the Madhesi-based parties.  "The government deceived us by registering fresh Constitution Amendment Bill at the parliament by going against spirit of understanding with us which forced us to boycott the election," he told the post.

Sarbendra Nath Shukla, general secretary of Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party, said that his party didn't provide details of such officials as sought by the EC because of the government's failure to create conductive political environment for holding local elections. "Once such environment is created, we are sure that the EC will extend deadline to ensure our participation," he told the Post.

According to the EC, all the major parties have given such detail of party officials as sought by the EC.  Nepali Congress (NC), the largest party, had provided such names only Wednesday evening. The parties who failed to provide details of such officials are likely to miss participation in the planned local elections if they are held on May 14, according to EC officials. 

The Local Level Election Act—2017 has stated that candidates of any party which failed to follow the set procedure of nomination would not be recognized as candidates of concerned political party.

As the candidate nomination day is on April 29, EC also does not have time to extend the deadline. It is so because details of such officials should be given to the EC 15 days earlier than the day when the nomination of candidate takes place. In fact, the EC had extended the deadline until Wednesday from previous deadline of Saturday (April 8). 

"As we have already given necessary time to the parties for the process, we don't wait to see who are left out and who are not from this process," said Election Commissioner Sudhir Shah.