Six Baitadi candidates yet to open bank accounts for election expenses

Baitadi: As the House of Representatives elections draw near, six candidates in Baitadi have not yet completed the mandatory process of opening separate bank accounts for election-related expenses, raising concerns over transparency.

According to the District Election Office, out of 11 registered candidates, only five have opened new bank accounts for election purposes. The remaining six—CPN-UML’s Damodar Bhandari, Nepali Communist Party’s Parmananda Bhatta, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party’s Nawaraj Koirala, Aam Janata Party’s Bishan Singh Bohara, CPN-Maoist’s Ram Bahadur Kunwar, and independent candidate Jayaprakash Pant—have not fulfilled this requirement within the specified time.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress leader Chatur Bahadur Chand, Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Bhupen Bahadur Chand, Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal’s Ansingh Bhandari, Rastriya Swatantra Party’s Hari Mohan Bhandari, and Shram Sanskriti Party’s Gajendra Raj Pandey have completed the process by opening accounts.

During a meeting of the Election Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee held at the Chief Election Officer's Office on Saturday, District Election Office Chief Khagendra Bharti urged the remaining candidates to open their accounts by Falgun 5.

The election code of conduct requires all candidates to conduct election-related transactions through a banking system to ensure transparency and accountability. Transactions exceeding Rs 25,000 must be made through banks, while smaller amounts require receipts as proof. The regulation is aimed at promoting transparent and accountable election spending.