National
Party’s poll drive in line with EC rules, says UML
The main opposition CPN-UML said on Wednesday that it has been conducting election campaign and publicity in line with the election code of conduct set by the Election Commission (EC).The main opposition CPN-UML said on Wednesday that it has been conducting election campaign and publicity in line with the election code of conduct set by the Election Commission (EC). The UML response came day after the EC questioned the party over its advertisements published in mainstream dailies on Tuesday.
As the second phase of provincial assembly and federal parliamentary elections nears, political parties have stepped up their poll campaigns. The commission had directed the UML to come clean within 24 hours over the publication of advertisements in broadsheet dailies appealing for votes.
Issuing a statement on Wednesday, Spokesperson for the UML Central Election Mobilisation Committee Bishnu Rimal insisted that the party has complied with all the directives set by the commission.
“The code of conduct set by prestigious institution like EC needs to be perceived as a duty than obligation,” the statement reads.
The party has also urged voters and supporters to carry out the election campaign within the limitation set by the poll body, stating that the advertisements on newspapers were published voluntarily by the party well-wishers.
“The party was unaware about the advertisements,” Rimal said, adding that the UML has been in “a comfortable position of winning a majority of seats in the upcoming polls need not indulge in such affairs”.
As per the election code of conduct, a political party can publish one advertisement in a selected newspaper each day. It has also specified that such an advertisement should not exceed 7x7 inch in size.
The UML has since decided to stop conducting poll campaign through print advertisements, the statement says, adding that it was issued to inform the party cadres and well-wishers about the incident to avoid such mistake in future.
Apart from print, major political parties like the Nepali Congress, the UML and Maoist Centre have been agressively using social and digital platforms in their bid to reach out to urban voters ahead of the second phase of elections to be conducted in 45 districts scheduled for December 7.