KATHMANDU, Feb 2: The Legislature-Parliament has unanimously passed the bill on local level election-2073. 

With this, all five essential bills relating to local elections have been passed. 
However, the bill on political parties is under consideration at the State Affairs Committee of the Legislature-Parliament. 

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi presented the proposal in the meeting, seeking the passage of bill on local level election. 

Responding to the query raised during the meeting, Home Minister Nidhi said it was very positive that the lawmakers with different ideologies showed interests on the election and democratic values during the discussion. 

According to him, in the local level election, there is a constitutional provision that out of the total candidates, 50 percent would be the women. Similarly, among two women at ward level, one would be Dalit candidate. 

Participating in the discussion, lawmaker Bharat Bahadur Khadka said election is essential to make democracy functional at local level. The date for the local level poll should be announced soon, he demanded. 

Another lawmaker Rajendra Pandey wondered why the government was delaying to announce local body election. 

Similarly, Prem Suwal demanded correction in the bill by making it mandatory for the political parties in the parliament to have the same election symbol in the local election. 

Meena Pun argued that some provision in the bill were oppressive because the bill had the intention that country was facing instability due to small political parties. 
CPN (ML)'s Shiba Chandra Chaudhary said the bill was against the spirit of the constitution as it was brought when the number of local units was yet to be determined. 

Ramhari Khatiwada of Nepali Congress said people would be freed from visiting the Singha Durbar in search of their representatives if the local poll was held. The bill had guaranteed women's political rights, he added. 

Lawmaker Ramchandra Pokhrel spoke of the need of further discussions among the political parties on the issue of holding the local poll. 

CPN (Maoist Center)'s Janakraj Joshi said the election of local bodies was the need of the hour. 

Lawmaker Jeevan Pariyar said bill has created a condition in which the people could feel the presence of democracy and there was no alternative to political parties of moving ahead welcoming the bill. 

Afilal Okheda echoed some reform in the bill bearing in mind the welfare of the Dalit community. 

Yogendra Tamang insisted on an approval of the bill as soon as possible so as to find a ground to hold the local poll within the constitutional deadline and eventually institutionalize democratic achievements. 

Shyam Kumar Shrestha sought the guarantee of the participation of Dalits and marginalised community in the village and municipal-level leadership and announcement of the date for local poll. 

Report presented 
A report on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was presented at the Legislature-Parliament meeting today. 

Parliament's Environment Protection Committee President Janakraj Chaudhary presented the report before the meeting. 

The next meeting of the Parliament will be held at 1:00 pm of February 5. RSS 

 
• local election bill
 
• house
 
• state affairs committee