A meeting of the commission on Thursday took a decision to this effect a day after the UCPN (Maoist) chairman used a helicopter in two districts without prior permission from the EC. [break]
“Though UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had sought permission from the EC on Wednesday, he was found using helicopters without receiving the commission´s prior consent,” said EC Spokesperson Bir Bahadur Rai.
Dahal on Wednesday attended two separate election-related programs in Dolakha and Kavrepalanchowk districts by helicopter, for which he had no permission from the EC.
According to EC officials, the commission´s meeting concluded that the UCPN (Maoist) chairman was in breach of the election code of conduct.
Dahal had also used a helicopter without EC permission for electioneering in Taplejung and Okhaldhunga in recent days.
The commission is being criticized for relaxing the provision relating to helicopter use for electioneering.
The EC had earlier allowed helicopters to be used for campaigning in Solukhumbhu, Manang, Mustang, Dolpa, Humla, Jumla, Mugu, Kalikot, Bajhang, Bajura and Jajarkot as these districts are remote and hard to reach, but later it decided to allow the central leaders of parties to use helicopters in some more districts with due consent from the commission.
The commission later said the senior central leaders can use helicopters with EC permission for poll campaigning in a few more areas where roads are impassable due to natural disaster or in case of some unprecedented circumstances.
In a separate case of code violation, the EC on Thursday directed Chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal Kamal Thapa to furnish clarifications in writing within three days for using more than two road vehicles in poll campaigning.
The commission has ordered Thapa to explain why it should not take action against him for violation of the election code of conduct. The code of conduct bars a candidate from using more than two vehicles during electoral campaigning.
Also, the EC´s meeting decided to direct the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) to probe election related violence and take action against anyone found guilty.
The commission´s decision comes at a time when clashes between cadres of rival political parties and incidents of arson and vandalism have been rising sharply in recent days.
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