55 parties for election

Kathmandu, Nov. 18: The date for submitting applications by political parties for being registered at the Election Commission (EC) in connection with participating in the forthcoming municipal elections will expire today.The number of political parties submitting application at the EC has reached 55 after 13 additional parties lodged applications today.Of the parties that had submitted applications at the EC, 16 have been registered so far, and the remaining parties will be registered gradually, according to spokesperson of the EC Tej Muni Bajracharya.The parties applying for registration today include Nepal Cooperative Party, Bahujan Samaj Party Nepal, Rastriya Janashakti Party, Democratic Nepal, Nepal Socialist Party, Supremacy of Nepalese People, People Liberation Party Nepal, Nepali National Unity Party, Nationalist Democratic Council, Nepali Rastriya Janabhavana Party, Socialist Democratic People’s Party Nepal, Rastrabadi Milan Kendra Nepal and Nepal Independent Socialist Party.

Main while The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has become the only major political party to register at the EC so far, reports said. The RPP was registered on Wednesday while its breakaway Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) has announced to register the EC even as it has decided to boycott the polls.

The RJP after its central committee meet on Tuesday announced that it is registering at the EC only to respect the elections as a democratic process, not to join the electoral fray.
Seven agitating political parties have already announced to actively boycott the polls.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner, Keshab Raj Rajbhandari, said the elections in all 58 municipalities would be conducted on the stipulated date.

“All preparations for the election are complete now. The EC is fully committed to hold free and fair elections on time,” he said at a program in Kathmandu.

Rajbhandari informed that supervision committees would soon be formed in the districts while separate committees to monitor the security system and election code of conduct have been formed at the central level.