Kathmandu, January 24
Nepal’s lawmakers have quashed an Election Commission proposal to allow political parties in pre-electoral allinace to use the same symbol during polls.
A meeting of Parliament’s Public Affairs Committe decided not to accept the proposal, which had become a matter of contention between political parties.
While fringe political parties wanted the provision to remain, the Nepali Congress and the UML had stood against the proposal. Section 48 of the draft legislation under discussion in Parliament said that two or more political parties who are part of an alliance can use the same election symbol.
According to analysts, big political parties like the Nepali Congress and the UML firmly stood against the proposal as they felt threatened by ‘pro-identity’ parties, who could cash in on the provision to secure large chunk of votes.
