EC Seeks Second Clarification from Balendra Shah Over Election Code Violation

The Election Commission (EC) has asked former Kathmandu mayor and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidate Balendra Shah to explain himself for the second time over possible violations of the Election Code of Conduct, 2082.

This request is part of a wider action taken by the EC, which on Sunday and Monday asked nine more people to submit clarifications. With this, the total number of notices issued by the Commission has reached 30.

According to EC Assistant Spokesperson Kul Bahadur Jisi, the case against Shah is linked to reports from the Jhapa-5 constituency. The reports claim that Shah’s wife, Sabina Kafle, was accompanied by police officers in plain clothes while campaigning for him.

Audio and video clips circulating publicly show police personnel walking with Sabina Kafle as she asked people to vote for Shah. Based on this evidence, the EC has asked Shah to explain whether his campaign followed the rules set by the Election Code of Conduct.

The Commission has given Shah three days to respond. The clarification has been sought under specific sections of the Election Code that restrict the use of government resources and security personnel during election campaigns.

Earlier, on January 27, the EC had also asked Shah and three other individuals to clarify alleged violations related to viral social media content. Those asked included senior RSP leader Balen, CPN-UML leader Mahesh Basnet, Shram Sanskriti Party chair Hark Sampang, and candidate Nicholous Bhusal.

The Election Commission said it is closely monitoring election activities and will continue to take action against anyone found breaking election rules.