KATHMANDU, Jan 19: The Election Commission (EC) has firmly rejected a request by the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress (NC) to postpone the nomination date for candidates contesting the House of Representatives (HoR) election under the first-past-the-post system, scheduled for March 5.
According to the EC’s official election timetable, candidate nominations must be filed on January 20. EC spokesperson Narayan Bhattarai clarified that the Commission has not decided to revise the schedule.
“The timetable for filing nominations for the House of Representatives election under the first-past-the-post system on January 20 was announced earlier. There is no possibility of reconsideration,” Bhattarai said.
The clarification came after Krishna Prasad Paudel, chief secretary of the Deuba faction’s central office, visited the EC on Sunday and registered an application seeking the suspension of the election schedule, including the nomination process for HoR candidates under the direct election system.
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However, Bhattarai said he was unaware of the application. “The application may have been forwarded to the legal section, but I do not have any information about it,” he said.
The move follows growing discontent among Deuba-aligned leaders after the EC recognized the Central Working Committee elected under the leadership of Gagan Thapa through the NC’s Special General Convention, effectively settling the party’s legitimacy dispute. Challenging the EC’s decision, the Deuba faction filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court on Sunday.
After the application seeking to postpone the election schedule was submitted, speculation surfaced over a possible delay in the election process. The EC, however, dismissed such speculation, stating that there was no truth to the rumors.
EC officials also met Prime Minister Sushila Kaki on Sunday. According to EC officials, the meeting focused primarily on the implementation of the election code of conduct.
Election code of conduct comes into force
Spokesperson Bhattarai said the election code of conduct took effect from midnight on Sunday and will remain in force until further notice.
According to a statement issued by the EC, the code applies broadly—from the Government of Nepal to the media. The EC has directed full compliance by the federal and provincial governments and their ministers, constitutional bodies and officials, government agencies, local executives and members, security forces, public and semi-public institutions, political parties, party representatives and sister organizations, candidates and their representatives, and other concerned stakeholders.
The code also applies to polling and vote-counting agents, public office holders, monitoring committees and observers, media organizations and journalists, private and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and their staff, voters, development partners, government-funded projects and their employees, voter education organizations, banks and financial institutions, cooperatives, commercial and industrial sectors, service providers, and all other bodies or individuals designated by the EC.
