Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Surya Prasad Shrestha has alleged that the Election Commission (EC) has been carrying out its activities related to municipal polls under pressure from the government.
Speaking at an interaction in the capital on Friday, Shrestha said the EC had the authority to suggest the government whether or not the polls could be held but the EC could not take a correct decision in this regard and started the election process “technically.”
“If I was in the post, I would have suggested the government against holding polls,” said former CEC.
He further said that the elections could not be held at a time when nationally recognized parties were boycotting it.
“The main objective of the EC is to hold parliamentary election and form a legitimate government, ” he added.
According to Shrestha, it is useless for the government to claim conducting municipal elections as an achievement, or for the parties to create a storm against it, as it was only a small and local event. No international body would show interest in monitoring municipal elections,” he said.
Speaking at the same programme, NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said, “In the present context, there is no utility of municipal election,” adding, ” The civic election, as a political exercise, has turned out to be a total failure.”
“No one with political and social image came up for nomination in the election, even though the whole state mechanism had worked on war-footing for the same,” he said.
“It is like a wedding ceremony without a bride and a bridegroom,” he added.
Devendra Mishra of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party said, “Despite the murder of its candidate from Dhanusha, the party will participate in the election.”
Parashuram Khapung of RPP said the party would not participate in the poll due to what he called the government ’s irresponsible behaviour towards political parties and EC ’s freezing of his party ’s election symbol “illegally.”.