EC murders Dhungel poll bid

• Maoist PR candidate Usha Fakir too found ineligibPranab Kharel

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KATHMANDU, NOV 07 -

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday scrapped the nomination of UCPN (Maoist) election candidates Balkrishna Dhungel and Usha Shah Fakir. The EC said the duo who had been nominated by the party for the Proportional Representation poll system did not meet the eligibility criteria set by the election law.

While Dhungel is a murder convict, Shah is a member of the National Muslim Commission. The election law bars convicts of criminal offence and those who hold office of profit from contesting polls.

In Dhungel’s case, the EC cited Clause 19 (e) of the ordinance concerning a Constituent Assembly member, which says that any person sentenced to life in prison and his/her property confiscated by a final verdict of a court will not be able to contest elections.

The District Court, Okhaldhunga, had on May 10, 2004 sent Dhungel to life in prison and ordered confiscation of his property for murdering one Ujjan Kumar Shrestha, who dared an inter-caste marriage against the will of the bride’s brothers, in the district. The bride’s brothers happened to be Dhungel’s colleagues.

Dhungel had filed an appeal in the Appellate Court, Rajbiraj. On June 5, 2006, the Appellate Court gave him a clean chit. The case was later taken up in the Supreme Court, which on January 3, 2010, upheld the district court’s verdict to sentence him to life in prison.

However, Dhungel has been going scot-free. The Supreme Court had in November 2011 stayed a decision of the then Cabinet to seek clemency for Dhungel with the President.

On Wednesday, the commission was responding to a complaint filed by Ram Kumari Jhakri, a CPN-UML PR candidate.

As per the election law, only PR candidates belonging to any political party can file complaints against another candidate.

In Shah’s case, the EC was responding to a complaint filed by Mohammad Jakir Hussain of the Maoist party.

The election body, however, gave clean chits to five other election candidates—Rita Thapa of Samajbadi Janta Party, Hari Ram Sirpaili, Anita Pariyar and Dhana Maya Biswokarma of the UCPN (Maoist) and Bimala Laxmi Shah of the Nepal Shanti Ekata Party—against whom various complaints had been lodged.

Leaders get nod to use choppers in campaigns

The EC has approved requests from some top leaders to use helicopters in their poll campaigns.

On Wednesday, the election body informed UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal that he can use a helicopter for his planned trip to Sindhuli district on November 3. Very recently, Dahal had flown to Kavre, Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk to attend rallies without the EC’s consent.

The EC also allowed Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa and CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli to use helicopters in their campaigns.

Koirala is scheduled to go to Sankhuwasabha on November 13, while Deuba will travel to Baitadi, Dadeldhua, Accham and Bajura between November 11-12. Thapa is scheduled to travel to Dailekh, Salyan and Jajarkot on November 9.

As per rules, leaders can use chartered helicopters only after the EC’s consent.